There is a whole other world beneath the surface of the ocean.  An ocean is not a big reservoir of empty water, of course; it’s swarming with life, and  some people who have never seen it have a hard time imagining how much.   Snorkeling or diving near any barrier reef or off the coast of an island reveals a huge amount of fascinating life.   The first time I went snorkeling in a marine reserve (off the coast of Belize, seen in the video above) I was stunned at what was down there.   It was filled with color and motion and so many varieties of creatures and it seemed endless; truly like being in an alternate universe.  Now imagine that vibrant  alternative universe filled with the dark murkiness of oil.

Endangered sea turtles are washing up dead on the beach in the Gulf. 

“At least 150 sea turtles have washed up dead or dying along the U.S. Gulf Coast since the giant oil spill off Louisiana, a higher number than normal for this time of year, a leading wildlife expert said on Monday.” Read more here.

Below is a report from Wallace J. Nichols, a marine scientist and oceans conservationist who in 1998 founded the Grupo Tortuguero. See more on him here.

My brave friend Leilani Munter called from the field to report that the National Wildlife Federation and CNN had documented the first sea turtle caught in a slick at sea, gasping for air through an iridescent sheen. Tragically, just as nesting season for a number of the Gulf of Mexico’s sea turtle species is set to begin, these highly endangered animals become the poster species of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Soon, if not already, adult male and female turtles will gather in shallow coastal waters, mate and prepare to nest, precisely where oil is accumulating. The pregnant females will scuttle across beaches at night to lay eggs, just as they’ve done for millions of years, but these beaches will be different—they will be blacked with oil. In a few short weeks, a new generation of hatchlings will emerge from the sand and make their way across oily beaches to an oily sea where tar balls and slicks will make their already-long odds of survival even longer. As they mature, they will have to rise through oil slicks to breathe and survive by eating oil-coated animals, algae and seagrass. While sea turtle will be among the most recognizable victims, they won’t be alone. Many species of birds, fish, invertebrates and plants will fare just as badly.

Even before the spill, sea turtles had it tough. US and Mexican trawlers drag nets across the sea floor in search of shrimp, but catch thousands of turtles by “accident.” Bright beach [...]