Man rescues turtle covered in barnacles and unable to swim

A man rescued a turtle that was found covered in barnacles and unable to swim.

The lonely turtle was on its own in the middle of the ocean when it was found by a jet skier.

A video shows the man, who wasn't named, approaching the floating turtle off the coast of Abu Dhabi, UAE.

As he picks it up, the turtle is visibly covered in barnacles and a crab is also attached to it.

The man slowly removes each barnacle before releasing the turtle back into the water.

Once freed, the turtle was able to swim again.

Barnacles can encrust and damage a turtle’s shell.

Turtles can also lose their swimming ability due to the weight of those barnacles.

The footage was filmed in May 2023.