we got a good turtle out in front of us,

camera's rollin', this could be it.

- [Man] Dead through, dead through.

- [Coyote] I'm comin', I'm comin'.

(splashing) - Oh, oh.

(dramatic music)

(splashing)

- [Coyote] Australia's home to many reptilian species.

And while several of them are found within the confines

of the continent's interior,

beyond the tide you will find

one of the world's most cherished animals,

the green sea turtle.

In the past I've had the chance to swim alongside

these elegant and timeless beings,

yet strict regulations prohibit anyone

from making physical contact with these reptiles.

However on this adventure, that is all about to change.

(dramatic music)

Today the crew and I are heading off the coast of Bowen,

a small town situated at the top of the Whitsundays

on the Eastern side of Queensland.

Under the invitation of the World Wildlife Fund,

we will be given the chance to work alongside

the traditional owner rangers from Guru and Bindile People.

These rangers take responsibility for the management

and protection of their sea country,

including iconic species like the green sea turtle.

Their work includes (splashing)

safely catching, collecting data,

and tagging these magnificent marine reptiles

so scientists can then determine

what is happening to the turtle population

and ensure that the species is continuing

to thrive in these warm waters.

- And as a very order Gudjuda Elder,

I'd like to welcome you to the country

and hope yous have a good day.

(chattering)

- [Mark] Coyote, what's goin' on?

- I'm doin' a smoke ceremony right now

and the flames are just welcoming us

into this community. - That's what the flames will.

- [Coyote] I consider myself to be an expert

when it comes to catching turtles.

And my method of leaping from kayaks

to catch snapping turtles has often proven

to be incredibly successful.

(dramatic music)

Catching sea turtles however, is a very different challenge.

(splashing)

As compared to snapping turtles,

these ocean dwelling reptiles are incredibly fast.

And instead of leaping feet first from a slow rowing kayak,

I will be jumping from a speeding boat.

The good news is that I will be apprenticing a man

who I now consider to be the greatest turtle catcher

of all time, Aaron Taiters.

He will be showing me the tricks of the trade

that he has spent several years mastering

and which have resulted in the safe capture,

data collection, tagging,

and release for hundreds of sea turtles.

(dramatic music)

So what are you lookin' for Aaron?

You lookin' for shadows in the water?

- Yeah, we're lookin' for sort of a dark brown figure.

- [Coyote] Okay.

- We'll see the turtle shells sit still

or they'll make a move for it.

The moment they move, we tell Eddie,

"Yep, he's off to the right."

And that's how we'll catch him then.

- [Coyote] Gotcha.

Yeah that's kind of the same way

I search for snapping turtles.

I look for a dark shadow beneath the surface,

wait for it to start movin',

I know it's not a rock, and then you make your go.

- [Aaron] Yep.

Sometimes you will get confused

because there's a lot of sting ray around here.

Before you see it as a turtle,

just make sure you see his flippers first

- Got it. - And then you just

start chasing.

(dramatic music)

- [Man Over Radio] Gudjuda One, Gudjuda One,

this is little Got Gunger, any turtles sighted yet?

- [Man] Not yet but we're working on it.

We'll keep you posted.

- [Man Over Radio] Rodger that, over and out.

(beeping)

(dramatic music)

- [Aaron] There he is there to the right.

- [Coyote] Oh got a turtle to our right here.

He's just in front of us. - I think he's goin' left.

- He's swimmin' really quick.

Goin' left.

Upon spotting several smaller turtles

and witnessing their impressive speed,

I quickly realized that catching a sea turtle

was going to be much more difficult

than I had originally anticipated.

There's a big turtle here, big one, big one.

- [Man] Go, go.

(splashing)

(groaning) (splashing)

- Yes. (cheering)

(laughing) Nice catch.

Oh, that was a rough miss.

But the good news is that Aaron was right there

to follow up with an epic dive and successful catch.

Boy does he make it look easy.

(yelling)

And I had his front flipper in my hand.

- [Aaron] Yeah I thought I saw that.

- [Coyote] I had his flipper.

- [Aaron] I said that, I said, "He's got it in your hand."

(yelling) And he's just off cruising.

- Well great catch again Aaron.

(laughing)

That was epic, alright.

I was so close, that was the one.

I had the entire flipper in my hand

and it went whoop, right out.

And I tried to grab the back of the shell,

couldn't do it, but at least we caught the turtle,

let's get it onto the research boat,

get the biometrics, keep at it.

As a team our rate of success was fantastic.

Yet my personal performance was lackluster at best.

I could feel that my confidence for catching sea turtles

was beginning to sink.

Yet Aaron being the incredible mentor that he was,

continued to encourage and critique my style.

- You see that one? - Yeah I see him.

- [Man] Get out now fast first.

(splashing)

- Great TV.

(chattering)

- [Mark] Did you get a brown?

(sighing) - Okay.

- [Mark] It's harder than it looks, folks.

- Man, it was the same thing before.

I was not in front of the turtle.

Time was running out and my widow to land a giant,

was beginning to close.

When the boat slowly motored into a clear stretch of water

that revealed a massive dark shadow beneath the surface.

Alright guys we got a good turtle out in front of us.

Camera's rollin', this could be it.

This was it, the pressure was on,

and I would only have one dive,

one chance to catch this turtle.

- [Aaron] You see him right there now?

- [Coyote] Yep, yep, yep.

There, right there.

Aaron kept his sights locked on the speeding reptile,

waiting for an opportune moment

when it would slow it's forward momentum

and prepare to breach the surface for a breath of air.

This would be my window of opportunity

and in that instance, he shouted the command.

- [Aaron] Dead through, dead through.

(splashing)

- [Mark] Missed it. Oh, oh.

(chattering)

- [Aaron] I got it.

(splashing)

(triumphant music)

- [Coyote] Right there I was able to catch that.

(cheering)

Oh, careful, careful.

(cheering)

Caught a turtle. (laughing)

Now did that feel good.

(cheering)

Yeah, I jumped, grabbed the back of the shell.

(cheering)

Man, that is a good sized turtle right there.

Without question, the biggest turtle I have ever caught.

(laughing)

Man. (cheering)

Oh, I told you guys I'd do it.

(laughing) (cheering)

- Oh nice. - He is a big one.

- That's a male. - Look at the tail.

- Yeah that's a male. (cheering)

Look at that tale.

(laughing) - Oh man.

- My goodness. - That's a dragon's tail.

(cheering)

Yes, yes.

(cheering)

That's my dragon right there. (laughing)

Man. (laughing)

Best turtle catch ever of my life at least.

(cheering)

Alright guys we gotta get the rest of our gear,

get onto the research boat, get the biometrics,

and then release this dragon back into the wild.

Yes. - Yes.

- I hope I caught all that on this camera.

Wow.

(splashing)

(chattering)

Alright guys well there we have it,

there is the green sea turtle that I landed.

And he is an absolute giant.

This is the first male of the trip

that we have caught, an absolute beast.

Can you guys believe this?

- [Mark] I can't believe you caught it.

That was an amazing catch. - What a catch.

Well when I jumped into the water

I kind of went to the side,

I grabbed the side of it's shell,

my hands slid down, I held onto the back of the shell

and actually climbed up the side of it

to get right behind the back of the carapace.

And you can see how healthy this turtle is.

Look at, it is actually spilling out of it's shell.

I know buddy.

Now let's take a look at the carapace of this reptile.

It is massive and I love this teardrop shape, you see that?

This allows these turtles to stay completely streamlined

when they're swimming under the water.

If you take a look here, look at the size

of this turtle's tail.

Just like a snapping turtle,

male green sea turtles have an extremely long tail,

look at that.

As long and as big around as my arm is.

An absolute dragon tail right there.

Now you hear the name green sea turtle

and you may be thinking to yourselves,

"Well, Coyote, it's mostly brown in coloration.

"Why do they call it a green sea turtle?"

That name comes from a thick layer of green fat

that exists just beneath the bone of the carapace

that insulates them between the bone

and all of their main organs.

I know buddy, you just wanna get back

out there into the ocean, don't you?

Now this guy's just fine, don't worry.

Sea turtles can stay out of the water

for an extended period of time.

(sighs) What a beautiful turtle.

Look at those eyes.

Such kind, intelligent eyes.

And you may notice that the turtles eyes are very wet,

almost looks like it's crying.

It's not crying, all turtles are capable

of secreting a mucus from their eye membrane

to help keep their eyes wet when they're out of the water.

This goes for all turtles,

painted turtles, snapping turtles, spiny soft shells,

even sea turtles have the ability to secrete that mucus.

Now you'll notice the beak of this reptile is not hooked.

Because unlike a snapping turtle,

they're not out there actually hunting for prey.

When they get to be this big, they're completely herbivores.