Kayaking trips usually bring peace and adventure.
Whether you are paddling or simply soaking up the scenery, there is always something fascinating to enjoy, from unexpected wildlife to hidden corners of nature.
Carolina Diz and her partner, Brittany, planned such a trip to Central Missouri. What they believed would be just another quiet day outdoors quickly turned into a rescue they never saw coming.
It all began with an odd wooden box, half-buried along a muddy shore.
A Box That Shouldn’t Be There
While gliding across the lake, Carolina and Brittany spotted the strange box wedged into the mud. Their curiosity immediately grew, and they steered closer to inspect it.
Then they noticed movement from inside.
“Oh, it’s moving”, Carolina said.
The couple’s excitement shifted to concern. Something inside was alive, though completely caked in mud and hard to recognize.
They waited patiently until the shape became clearer. To their surprise, it was a turtle.
Carolina couldn’t understand how the animal had become trapped. The opening was far too small for his size.
“OK, he’s too big to fit through that opening, which means he must have gotten in when the water was still high, and now he’s stuck,” Carolina told The Dodo.
Having worked as a media producer on turtle-related projects, Carolina knew how serious the situation was. The water level had dropped too low, leaving the turtle stranded in the box.
Even worse, the cold weather meant he needed to return to the water quickly.
“I’ve worked on many turtle videos, so I knew that turtles need to be in water to survive through the winter,” Carolina added.
An Unexpected Twist
Carolina and Brittany knew they had to act. The box was too heavy to move, so they carefully used their kayak paddle, scooping the turtle out of the mud.
But that was not the end.
Just as they thought the rescue was complete, they realized there was another turtle. And then another. And another.
In total, four turtles had been trapped inside the wooden box.
The kayakers gently placed each one at the edge of the water, giving them the freedom they so desperately needed.
The turtles wasted no time. Slowly yet with certainty, they made their way into the lake.
“It was amazing to see that they all instinctively knew to go straight back into the lake,” Carolina concluded.
Thanks to Carolina and Brittany, four turtles now have a fresh start and the safety of their natural home.