This article was written by SA Turtles
In December 2024, SharkWise Project interns had a special sighting of a flipper-tagged adult female loggerhead while diving Aliwal Shoal. They captured footage of her unique tag number, ZA0659J, which allowed Regional Marine Ecologist at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Santosh Bachoo, to trace her records.
She was originally tagged by turtle monitors on 13 December 2023 after nesting 4km south of the research station on Bhanga Nek beach in iSimangaliso Wetland Park. However, there’s no record of her nesting this season.
Loggerheads typically nest every 2–3 years here, as the migration between foraging and breeding grounds is energetically demanding.
Satellite tracks of female loggerheads from South Africa show that after nesting, most migrate north to Mozambique, with some traveling as far as Kenya and Somalia. Others head northeast to Madagascar and the Seychelles, and some head south towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Since Nelson Mandela University researchers began studying turtles on Aliwal Shoal in 2020, many loggerheads have been observed, but seldom ones with flipper tags obtained on nesting beaches. We wonder if she was just passing through on her journey south after nesting (perhaps missed by monitors this year), or if she is hanging around to forage in the Aliwal Shoal MPA.
Sightings like this are incredibly valuable for understanding sea turtle movements. Huge thanks to The SharkWise Project for sharing this wonderful footage.