This morning marked the official start of the race with one turtle being released at Clearwater Beach in St David’s. After having her GPS attached to her shell, “Fripper”made her way down Clearwater Beach and entered the water to begin her race while dozens of spectators watched.

The next three months will see the participating turtles compete with each other to see which one travels the greatest distance. People can log on to the event website to follow along during the race and cheer on their favorite “competitor.”

Sea turtles are among the oldest creatures on earth and have remained essentially unchanged for 110 million years. With as few as one out of 1,000 hatchlings surviving to adulthood, scientists are still trying to learn more about these mysterious creatures of the sea.

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Using satellite technology, scientists can discover more about sea turtle habits at sea and identify foraging and migratory patterns that may hold the key to their survival.

The video below shows Dr Ian Walker from the Aquarium;Dr. Emma Harrison, the Scientific Director with the Sea Turtle Conservancy and Stephen Weinstein from RenaissanceRe talking about this project.

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This knowledge helps researchers, conservationists and governing agencies make more informed decisions about sea turtle conservation methods and policies. Visit www.tourdeturtles.org/Bermuda for more information.