Travelling Sea Turtle

A juvenile female loggerhead turtle, nearly bashed to death in heavy Tahitian surf, has now swum nearly 5000 kilometres across the South Pacific.

"Ariti" the turtle, complete with two satellite transponders on her shell, has been swimming for 133 days, more or less in a straight line to Fiji, but is now heading north toward Wallis and Futuna - and French waters again.  There was concern that Ariti might not survive Fiji; turtle is still a dish of chiefs there.

She lived dangerously; her track took her within sight of Bau Island, Fiji's famous chiefly isle. It is the first time a loggerhead has been tracked from Tahiti where the turtles hatch.

Ariti was found by a fisherman near the village of Teahupo'o on Tahiti - an area famous among surfers for its enormous waves. She was taken to the Sea Turtles Clinic where she recovered.

On May 24, children from Teahupo'o school were on a boat which took Ariti out to sea, southeast of Tahiti and released her.

She has been tracked across the Pacific, passing through the waters of the Cook Islands, passing near Niue and on through Tonga and the loggerhead-rich waters southeast of Fiji's main islands.

After turning away from Bau, Ariti swam past the super rich Wakaya resort island and into Bligh Waters between Fiji's two main islands, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu.  She has been swimming about 38km every day, at an average speed of 1.6kmh.