Kevin's Story
By Kevin Scott Illife
We were set to catch some waves at cape lookout, or shackleford banks, the day earlier
it was waste to chest, so we were hoping for another good day. No problems on the
boat trip out we go to lookout first and figured we try shack if it
was breaking right there. We arrive and cross the island to find it calm as many NC
days can be, so we decide maybe a little has held up and we can catch it at shackledford
banks. Our captain decides to take us on the ocean side figuring if it was flat we'd
know right away.
We were cruising the ocean w/ not much trouble when someone notice a giant sea turtle, it hit the surface more than once, and none of us had ever seen them on the ocean side like that. We moved in for a closer look and we found our friend was caught in a fisherman's net, he was struggling to get free, but could not. He looked exhausted but we didn't know what to do, no one seem to be around, and we figured if the turtle stayed in the net long enough, he would most likely die.
We pulled closer for a better idea of the situation we were now about fifteen feet, from the turtle and his eyes were dark black glassy, with no expression, but we could sense something was wrong. We moved in, and had tied the net to the boat, thinking that would help keep the turtle near the surface, that wasn't the smartest thing to do, because the turtle dove pulling the bow down, and bow dipping into the water. We weren't sure what to do we were pulling on the netting trying to free the turtle,and we could not. After all of trying my brother and a friend, dove into the water i could not believe this i thought this is crazy,now they're going to drown.
To make matters worse by this time the owner of the net had shown up and was starting
to reel it in, he told us to leave his net alone, it was illegal, we explained to him that
there was a turtle caught, and we were trying to rescue it. He claimed that
it would free itself, or he would free it by the time he got there, we felt it would be to
late. The two guys in the water were still messing with the net trying to free
the turtle, but seemed they still couldn't do anything. We back the boat out some
and my brother and our friend try again pulling on the net, they surface but still no sign
of the turtle. WE thought that was it then the turtle pop back to the surface, but
this time free from the net we were all very relieved, my brother and friend scurried back
into the boat before the fisherman could get close to get the numbers. The boat
backed from the net, and we all felt pretty good, about what we did. Even though
there was no waves we still interacted with the ocean in a most special way, with out
harming it. As we began to motor away from the net, something really strange happen
the turtle we believe to have rescued surfaced in front of the boat, bob up and down for a
few seconds, as he was looking towards the boat, then dove back into the sea. He
surface about two hundred yards in front of us again with another turtle. We were
all truly amazed. We were all very excited and high from what just happen to
ask any one of us we did the right thing, and we went beyond a human and nature
experience.
This happened almost ten years ago, it is still one of the most beautiful days i think
about when i think about surfing, my brother, my best friend , and i still talk, and
we will bring up this story about how there were no waves, but sometime the ocean
experience is a lot more than just the wave of the day.
Kevin Scott Illife