Reiko

Reiko is another special hawksbill for the Big Blue team, first reported to the Andaman Turtle Watch database by Will Nesset, who named her after his niece (pronounced ray-co). In fact, Will has named a turtle after each of his nieces – and every time their turtle is spotted, ATW lets them know. This has sparked a love of marine conservation across the ocean in America, inspiring the next generation of turtle heroes.

So far, Reiko has been reported twice in the ATW database – once by Will and once by Faustine Ducarre, who saw her foraging and even interacting with another hawksbill, Valmaya, near Similan Island 8. Every report helps us better understand turtle behavior and shows the ripple effect of citizen science: each sighting not only protects turtles, but also inspires people around the world to care for our oceans.