By Tammy Roberts
Roberts@hometownnewsol.com
An extended vacation in the Bahamas kept carefree Bree Varda from winning a three-month-long sea turtle marathon that ended this month.
A 330-pound female loggerhead, Bree Varda, also known as "Bree," was one of 11 sea turtles to compete in the Tour de Turtles, an annual event created by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation.
In late July, Bree was released from the Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge in south Melbourne Beach, while hundreds of spectators and sea turtle advocates watched from the shoreline.
Depending on their species, the turtles were released from popular nesting seasons throughout the world at various times, equipped with satellite tracking devices on their backs.
The first to travel 1,600 miles was named the winner.
Bree was among the top swimmers toward the beginning of the marathon, but got caught up south of the Bahamas, most likely due to the abundant sources of food surrounding the island's coral reefs.
"When you see that zigzag pattern and the turtle staying in one area, it means she probably found a foraging area and she's just hanging out, enjoying the food," said Kimberly Johnson, membership coordinator for the CCC.
Within the past month, Pacifica, a 2-foot olive ridley sea turtle from El Salvador, took the lead and was the first turtle to travel more that 1,600 miles in just 72 days.
While she clocked in more miles toward the beginning of her voyage, Bree traveled only 816 miles in 93 days.
The name "Bree Varda" was suggested by Deborah Cook, a librarian at Florida Tech in Melbourne, and selected by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation during its "Name the Sea Turtle" contest in July.
Throughout the marathon, more than 28,000 students, followers and sea turtle supporters visited the Tour de Turtles Web site, which features interactive games, educational activities and real-time maps that track the course of each turtle.
The CCC created the event as a way to involve and educate the public, as well as raise awareness about different threats related to sea turtles.
This year's marathon brought in more than $72,700 in sponsorships, adoptions and turtle conservation events, Ms. Johnson said. The funds are used for education, conservation, research projects and public advocacy both locally and internationally.
Typically loggerhead turtles such as Bree travel to the same area every two to three years to nest, which is most likely the same location they are born, said Rocio Johnson, marketing and communications coordinator for CCC.
"Scientists suggest each turtle has a magnetic fingerprint that forms in its brain, which helps them identify how to get back to the same location," she said. "They've identified patterns of the turtles zigzagging along in various directions and then heading right back in a straight line once it's time to mate and nest. Bree will most likely make her way back to the Archie Carr Refuge in a few years."
For information about the Tour de Turtles, visit www.tourdeturtles.org.