Basa the Loggerhead was released Sunday morning near St. Vincent's Island in Gulf County.
As Basa gets lifted up to the ride that will eventually lead him home, Gulf World Marine Park employees remember when the young loggerhead was down on his luck.
"He was in pretty rough condition," said Secret Holmes-Douglas of Gulf World.
The distressed sea turtle was found by pure luck during the St. Vincent's Wildlife Refuge open house in March.
"Some folks that were being ferried over said there was a turtle in distress and was kind of in a circular pattern," said David Moody of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. "He didn't look very healthy."
Refuge staffers were able to lure Basa to shore where he was taken to Gulf World's Marine Institute to be treated for pneumonia and other medical conditions.
"We had to do pretty rigorous treatment," said Holmes-Douglas. "But, he bounced back and he's doing great and obviously he is on his way back out."
Out to where it all began... where perhaps his memories will lead him back someday.
"Do you think he will remember this?"
"Hopefully he does," said Moody. "Hopefully he'll come back and lay eggs on us again."
"Not really sure if they have memories or not," said Holmes-Douglas.
"Would you like to think so?"
"I mean if he does, hopefully its a good one." she said.
Sea turtles can live more than one hundred and fifty years. They return to the same beach every year to lay their eggs. That leaves onlookers to hope, hope that Basa the loggerhead will come back to where help found him, and then sent him back on his way.
"Well they live to be about one hundred or something," said onlooker Candace Young. "They have to remember this stuff. They go back to the same beach every year to lay eggs. I mean... they know."
The St. Vincent's Volunteer Fire Department helped transport Basa onto the beach. Gulf World Marine Institute encourages anyone who finds a distressed marine mammal to call their stranding team.
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