Quahogger frees tangled turtle in upper bay

Rob Russo was quahogging near Ohio Ledge (roughly between Colt State Park and Warwick Neck) last Tuesday when he came upon a large sea turtle apparently tangled in a buoy line.

He posted an Instagram video of the encounter and rescue.

“Just came up on 150-200 lb turtle tangled in some lobster gear. It was all around its neck and front flippers (and) could barely move. I got my *** kicked and almost pulled me off the boat. Took at least 15 minutes but I got him all freed up. He took off with no visible damage. I have never seen a turtle like that in the bay.”

In response to some of the many comments his post received, he added, “ … An extra set of hands on the boat would have made it much easier. That thing was pretty large to try and wrangle with one hand and free it up with the other. But it was really awesome to see … He was strong as hell — he hit me in the face once with one of his flippers, felt like getting punched by a boxer. After I got it all out from around his neck he kind of chilled out. I think he realized I was helping him.”

Check the amazing video on Instagram — fvzombieboat