“In all my years on the water, I had never seen anything like it.”
Published on Feb 19, 2025 at 2:06 PM
It was an especially frigid day in January 2018 when Captain Brandon Upton noticed something floating in the waves. Upton is the owner of Sea Tow, an on-water assistance company in Corpus Christi, Texas, that serves area boaters by delivering fuel, jumping batteries and helping with other issues. But that day, Upton wouldn’t be saving the usual mariners — he’d be rescuing someone else entirely.
“I stopped to check it out and realized it was a sea turtle,” Upton told The Dodo. “I didn’t touch it, because I know they are endangered and protected. On my way in, I saw more and more sea
turtles and was very confused. In all my years on the water, I had never seen anything like it.”
Upton called experts at Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) and told them what he’d seen. The naturalists told Upton what was going on and gave him instructions on how to help. From there, Uptown was hooked.
“We have been rescuing cold-stunned sea turtles ever since,” Upton said.
It turns out, when temperatures drop too low, sea turtles can become “cold-stunned,” a state that’s very dangerous.
“Cold-stunned sea turtles lose their ability to swim, which causes them to float to the surface, where they can be hit by boats and wash ashore, where land predators are a threat,” Upton said. “They even lose their ability to lift their head out of the water to breathe, which can result in drowning.”
Today, Upton is an expert on the best practices for sea turtle rescue. But back in 2018, he had to learn on the job.
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“While sea turtle rescue typically requires special training, we started in an emergency situation,” Upton said. “We picked up two or three boatloads of floating turtles that very first day.”
Now, during the winter months, Upton continuously monitors the water temperatures. When a cold-stunning event is underway, Upton takes an airboat along the windward-facing islands and shorelines, looking for shells in the waves. Eventually, his boat is brimming with freezing turtles.
We are back for the second round of cold stunned turtles for 2025. Today we received over 40 cold stunned turtles. We are expecting this event to continue through the end of the week. Please keep an eye out for any cold turtles and call 866-turtle5 or 361-589-4023 to report them and receive instructions on further rescue information. Thank to everyone involved in rescue and rehabilitation efforts! We could not do what we do without you!Posted by Texas Sealife Center on Tuesday, January 21, 2025
After the rescue, Padre Island National Seashore volunteers move the turtles to a local rehabilitation center, where experts keep them warm and safe until water temperatures return to 56 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. This can take a few days, a week, or more. Rescuers release the turtles into the Gulf of Mexico instead of the Laguna Madre waters where they’re found.
“The Laguna Madre is much shallower than the Gulf,” Upton said. “Making the turtles more susceptible to subsequent cold-stunning.”
For Upton, lending a helping hand to animals in need is a no-brainer.
“I’ve always been an animal lover,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy who will take a spider outside or help a turtle cross the road. Pets have always been family.”
Upton is glad that his specialized Sea Tow equipment can serve a purpose beyond the business of servicing boaters. Sea Tow is there for the community, and sea turtles are part of that community.
“When I witnessed cold-stunned sea turtles for the first time, it was only natural for me to utilize my resources to help,” Upton said. “It feels good knowing that we’re able to help with the conservation effort and contribute to the survival of this endangered species.”
Keep up with Upton’s sea turtle rescues by following Sea Tow Corpus Christi on Facebook.
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