Ufuli

Ufuli is a sub-adult olive ridley turtle who was found floating by the Prodivers team during a dive trip to Fushivaru Kandu in Lhaviyani Atoll in March 2026. The team noticed a splash and went to investigate. They observed that Ufuli attempted to dive but kept floating back to the surface, indicating that something was wrong. Recognising this, they contacted the ORP hotline and brought him back to Kuredu Resort, where he stayed overnight. The following day, Ufuli was transferred by speedboat to the Sea Turtle Health Institute at Jawakara.

During his initial medical examination, our veterinary team found that he was suffering from Buoyancy Syndrome and an internal infection. He also had algae growth on the back of his carapace, suggesting he had been floating at the surface for some time. Our veterinary team is now tailoring his treatment plan and monitoring his condition closely.

Fun fact: Ufuli (އުފުލި)” means float or floaty in Dhivehi — which felt very fitting when he arrived, though we are working hard to make sure that name no longer applies!

11 October 2026
Ufuli continues to impress us on his recovery journey; he is frequently seen resting at the bottom of his tank, is utilising his new Environmental Enrichment Device and eats all of his food at every meal! Last month, he faced what we hope is simply a minor complication of an old wound. Our on-site veterinary surgeon recognised and treated the complication promptly, so we hope this will just be a small blip on his recovery journey. We remain optimistic as he progresses towards release!

6 September 2026
Ufuli continues to improve; he dives very well and is consistently seen resting on the bottom of the tank. In August, we provided him with an Environmental Enrichment Device to allow him to exhibit his natural behaviours in preparation for his return to the ocean. He spends a good amount of time interacting with it and has been witnessed to scratch himself on the brushes! We are monitoring his health and blood parameters closely and are hopeful that he will soon be ready to return home!

9 August 2026
Ufuli continues to make excellent progress, he is eating very well and is an expert diver, managing his buoyancy and spending most of his day at the bottom of the tank, a behaviour that is very encouraging to see! We are optimistic about his progress as he continues along his journey towards release.

12 July 2026
Despite having only recently been transferred to the Raa Atoll Sea Turtle Care Centre, Ufuli is adapting really quickly and by his second day he was already resting on the bottom of his tank and feeding independently! Ufuli’s progress over the last month has been remarkable. We have now removed his Targeted External Weight Therapy as his diving ability has improved significantly, and he adapted very quickly to its absence. He is also able to rest comfortably on the bottom of his tank, allowing us to discontinue his buoy feeding therapy. Instead, we now place his food directly into the tank, encouraging him to forage and feed underwater. His appetite has also improved greatly, and he has become quite a “food vacuum”! Although Ufuli has regained much of his strength and diving ability, he is still battling anaemia. For this reason, he remains under our care while we continue to monitor his blood parameters and overall health.

20 June 2026
Ufuli will soon be transferred to another ORP veterinary facility in the Maldives; the Raa Atoll Sea Turtle Care Centre at JOALI BEING. He is currently in a stable condition, and this move is intended to provide him with a more spacious and tranquil environment to support his continued recovery. At the Care Centre, Ufuli’s condition and progress will be closely monitored by one of our associate veterinary surgeons, to ensure he continues to receive the care he needs.

7 June 2026
Ufuli has been making steady progress over the past few weeks, and we are really encouraged by his determination! We recently introduced buoy feeding therapy, where food is suspended at different depths to encourage him to dive — and he is adapting to it wonderfully. He does still need a little extra help managing his buoyancy, so we are still supporting him with Targeted External Weight Therapy. Despite this, Ufuli gives it his all every single day, and his diving is gradually improving. We are keeping a close eye on him and are full of hope that he will continue to go from strength to strength!

10 May 2026
Having taken time to adapt to his new environment at the Sea Turtle Health Institute, Ufuli is improving slowly. He is still buoyant and we have already started Targeted External Weight Therapy to help him balance and enable him to dive again. We are thrilled to see that he has been eating really well over the past few weeks. We will continue to monitor his appetite and buoyancy and as soon as he is more stable we will start buoy feeding therapy to help him train to dive naturally again.