I always enjoying spending time with turtles and I marvel at their ability to survive in the modern world where so much is set up to drive them to extinction. I photographed this green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the Philippines, he’s an example of their ability to adapt. We could find him feeding on a patch of sea grass most afternoons. Sitting in the middle of small harbor this was one of the only places in the area he could feed and he had learnt to avoid the boats, lines and other debris that had be tossed into the water. My wife and I spent about 75 minutes following him around the area while he created his own sand-storm as he moved across the seagrass. In this image we are in about 12ft of water. Green turtles are listed by CITES as endangered and are protected in most countries but even so they are under huge pressure as their nesting beaches are destroyed, their eggs are harvested and the oceans become more polluted. I hope that future generations are able to see and enjoy the company of these ocean travelers.

© Jon Bertsch

Taken with a Nikon D200, Tokina 10-17mm in an Ikelite housing with 8″ dome and DS-125 strobes.
Processed with Photoshop CS5.