Drone Captures The Largest Swarm Of Sea Turtles Ever Filmed

Yet, in November 2016, biologist Vanessa : managed to film probably the largest swarm of sea turtles to date, while flying her drone over the Costa Rican coastline. The drone was used in a study that investigated olive ridley sea turtles and their reproduction.

"I immediately knew there was something special going on," said Bézy, to National Geographic. "To this day I'm still blown away by the video. They look like bumper cars out there." Swarms of turtles aren't unusual at Ostional; the refuge was established in 1983 as a protected area specifically for the turtles. But swarms this dense have never been seen before from this vantage point, and they may never be seen again given that this is a vulnerable species. "This is the only time I've seen a video capturing this phenomenon in the water," explained Roldán Valverde, scientific director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Florida. "Most of the photography documenting this occurs on the beach." Bézy studies these sea turtles, and says she recently released this footage to raise awareness about what we stand to lose if this species is not protected. Though these turtles are widespread, they have very few nesting sites around the world, and so when these nesting sites become compromised it threatens whole populations at once. For instance, Bézy has become increasingly concerned about a rising tourism industry around the beaches where this population nests.