Hedwig

Hedwig was fondly named by Ciara Hunt, Big Blue’s instructor, who first reported and identified this turtle in the Andaman Turtle Watch database. We switched things up from our usual naming trend of nieces or Star Wars characters and decided to throw a little Harry Potter magic into the mix. With so many turtles to name in the first season, we had to keep it fun! Ciara describes Hedwig as a small but chilled turtle, totally unfazed by the presence of Big Blue divers exploring their reef home. It’s a reminder that when you treat the ocean and its inhabitants with respect, they often reward you with unforgettable encounters.

Hedwig is another sub-adult hawksbill found foraging in the shallow reefs of Ao Pakad – further proof that this site is emerging as a critical foraging hotspot for hawksbills in the Andaman Sea. So far, Andaman Turtle Watch has documented five different hawksbills here across 17 sightings, but interestingly, no green turtles have been recorded at this site yet. This difference could be important, highlighting how the two species may use habitats differently, but more data is needed before we can draw conclusions. All the more reason to support Andaman Turtle Watch’s mission: to spot, share, and save sea turtles of the Andaman Sea.