Brett & Kelsey's adventure to a remote, hostile island in Northern Australia

Brett & Kelsey Leis ventured to remote & uninhabited Crab Island, located off the coast of Cape York in northern Australia, to live and work with the flatback sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles.

Satellite Tracking saltwater crocodiles on Crab Island

Crab Island Flatbacks

Reptilian Battleground

The trip north: 2000km of dirt track through the Cape York wilderness

National Geographic Filming - Croc Invasion

Reptilian Battleground

Unlucky Turtle

Crocodile eats hawksbill turtle

Latest Satellite Tracking map

An early season visit...

I was lucky enough to be back on Crab Island for a few days at the end of April. This is one of the earliest times of the year that anyone has assessed nesting on the island. I was lucky to have 3 traditional owners from Injinoo accompany along with my work colleague Ben Jones.
It poured down rain, but it was a great trip. I had picked some promising tides around the new moon and was curious to see what level, if any, nesting was occurring. To my surprise we counted close to 50 turtles on the first night we were there! The next night only 5. It goes to show that the island can still produce some good nesting outside the main nesting season.

Reflecting on 2008 - what a year!

It is nearly 2009 already! As I sit here in Toronto, Canada, and watch the snow fall outside it is hard to believe we were on Crab Island only a few weeks ago. It has been an amazing year full of new discoveries and amazing experiences after several trips to the island. I would have to write a book to list them all, but here are some:

o Witnessing and documenting, for the first time, crocodile predation on sea turtle hatchlings, and the previously unknown congregation of crocs on the island;

o Having the privilege to witness thousands of flatback turtles nest and hatchlings emerge;

o Having the unique experience of sharing an island with dozens of crocodiles, seeing their behaviours night after night;

o The times when we were literally surrounded by nesting turtles and hatchlings;

o Coming face-to-face with ‘Godzilla’, a massive 6m+ (18ft+) crocodile I had heard many stories about dating back to the 70’s and finally got to see him one night on the beach on Crab Island (with an adult sea turtle in his mouth);

o Successfully deploying satellite trackers and determining migration paths and feeding grounds of Crab island flatbacks for the first time;

o Tracking flatback turtles outside of Australia for the first time and identifying feeding grounds in Indonesia;

o Being able to collect remigration and renesting intervals for the first time;

o Being able to work with and enjoy the company of the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people of the area;

o Discovering significant Olive Ridley nesting in the area;

o Adding many new species to the Crab Island list, including many rare birds, frogs and several snakes;

o Seeing the seasonal changes on the island and the cycle of the wildlife, including migratory birds, tiger sharks, indo pacific humpback dolphins, and of course the sea turtles and crocodiles;

o Being able to spend quality time on Crab Island, getting to know and understand the natural rhythms and discovering it’s unique ecology;

Most importantly, the data we have collected is a step forward for effective conservation of the world's largest nesting population of flatback turtles.

Crab Island is certainly a wild and fascinating place… I can’t wait until we are back on beaches again next year!! In the meantime I am eagerly watching the migration patterns of our satellite tracked girls...

Nat crosses the Australian/ Indonesian border

Nat made history on Monday the 17th November. She is the first Flatback Sea Turtle to be ever tracked outside of Australia. She crossed the Australian border and is now in Indonesian waters heading towards Irian Jaya in Western Papua.
Nat will provide some of the first evidence of where flatbacks feed outside of Australia.

To see where Nat is right now click here

A scene from the Jurassic age

A crocodile and a sea turtle, 2 reptile species which have survived since before the dinosaurs, meet on the beach at Crab Island.

Nat leaves with satellite transmitter attached

Nat enters the ocean prior to her migration north:

Up close with the Crab Island locals

Its not everyday you get to swim with a saltwater crocodile...

Follow the turtles on the web

The turtles we put satellite tags on during the trip can be tracked on the web. Go to: http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=330

Alby Out (by Scott, aka Alby)

Well the adventure of a lifetime has come to an end and I write this blog sitting in Cairns reflecting on the last 12 days. Where do you start??

The Irwin’s (aka Brett & Kelsey) are certainly in their element on the island. You will be riding along on the quads, and all of a sudden we come to a complete stop. “What is it?” I would ask. “Did you see that beautiful puff breasted spotted drongo?” or “Did you here that ‘whoop whoop’ sound? It’s a red legged 10 foot Jabiru?” my answer would inevitably be “No I didn’t. Where?. Sitting here in Cairns I can safely say I still haven’t for the majority!!!!!

The heat on the island was completely zapping. On Thursday we hit 56oC and 48oC in the shade in our living room!! That’s all I would like to say about that.!!!!!!

Experiencing the turtles and seeing them on the island was absolutely fantastic. They are an amazing creature and I certainly have a greater fascination and heightened respect for them and the environment in which they live.

Seeing the crocs up so close and personal was also an experience . My ears and eyes were constantly pricked for any movement in and around the water. Your senses continually on high alert when you were close to the water working with the turtles or getting in and out of the boat. Again a new respect and greater understanding having lived so close to them for the last 10 days.

My contribution to the island was the Crab Island Totem. For those that now go onto the island you have the opportunity to leave a little piece of you there with it. Hopefully over time this will grow as you all take the time and make the effort to get to the island.

The highlight was definitely having my birthday on the island ( the first recorded birthday in history on Crab). Brett and Kelsey went to so much trouble, and my “pudding in a can” cake was delicious.

Thanks to the Irwins for such a great week. Thanks for looking after me.

Goodbye World. Alby Out.

Off the Island (by Kelsey)

*Crab Island from the air
In Seisia we cleaned the long boat, quads, and gear. We packed away the things that will stay up on Cape York, thanks to Greg giving us the space to do so. After getting all of that sorted and doing laundry, we enjoyed showers, time to relax, and fresh food.

The next day we took the morning ferry to Thursday Island where we spent about 5 hours before our flight. We hung out in a friendly café located in the cultural centre. Here we used the internet, uploaded photos, relaxed in the shade, and had some good food. Then we were off by ferry to Horn Island, where the local airport is. The flight from Horn Island to Cairns has beautiful views. We first watched Crab Island go by under us…it looks so big from up in the sky. Then we flew over other islands which make up the Great Barrier Reef...how spectacular! Once we landed in Cairns and settled in we took Scott down to the Esplanade to see a little of Cairns. We walked along the boardwalk to the Pier for dinner…it was nice to be waited on. Being back in civilization can be overwhelming at first; but it is amazing how much you appreciate all the little things so much more after living on a remote island for a long time.

It was back to reality today after we said goodbye to Scott. We had such a fantastic trip, which made it so sad to have it come to an end. It sure was great having Scott on the island with Brett and me. He was certainly in his element and he took on the wilds like a man who had never seen civilisation! Being able to share what we love was a good feeling. Tomorrow Brett and I head south and I hope we will soon be planning another trip in the near future back up to Crab, our island home!