GAINESVILLE, FL – Calypso Blue, a giant leatherback from Panama, finished in first place in Sea Turtle Conservancy’s (STC) annual Tour de Turtles Migration Marathon. Calypso Blue, sponsored by Atlantis Paradise Island, swam 3,268 miles in 97 days.

Tour de Turtles is a three-month-long, online sea turtle migration-tracking marathon. This year, audiences followed the migration of fifteen turtles on www.tourdeturtles.org, an interactive website which allowed people to track and adopt their favorite sea turtle.

“It was very rewarding to join forces with so many organizations to support sea turtle conservation through the 2012 Tour de Turtles program,” said Michelle Liu, Vice President of Marine Aquarium Operations, Atlantis, Paradise Island. “It was exciting to track the movements of Calypso Blue, the leatherback sea turtle and Atlantis’ official swimmer, who traveled almost 3,500 miles during the marathon.”

In addition to the distance competition, each turtle competed in the Causes Challenge. The Causes Challenge encouraged Tour de Turtles visitors to learn more about different threats to sea turtles and ways that people can make a difference for these threatened and endangered species. The turtles’ causes ranged from light pollution to beach renourishment and plastic debris.

Not only did Calypso Blue win the migration marathon, but she also won the Causes Challenge, collecting more than $10,000 towards raising awareness about the impacts of commercial trawl fisheries to sea turtles. Atlantis Paradise Island, a resort located in The Bahamas, participated in the Causes Challenge by inviting guests at the hotel to donate toward Calypso Blue’s cause. Since 2010, Atlantis has donated more than $27,000 in support of Tour de Turtles.

“It was awe-inspiring that so many of our guests were eager to support these endangered animals,” said Liu. “Through the efforts of the blue project, we will continue to support Sea Turtle Conservancy in the long haul to protect sea turtles from extinction.”

Calypso Blue is now off the northeast coast of the United States and will likely continue her migration to Europe.

In the migration marathon, Karma, another leatherback from Panama sponsored by RFQ-Hub, took second place, swimming 2,986 miles for the cause of commercial longline fisheries. Lady Marmalade, a loggerhead from Florida sponsored by The Body Shop Foundation, came in third, swimming 2,580 miles for the prevention of oil spills.

Contact: Rocio Johnson, Sea Turtle Conservancy, 352-373-6441, [email protected]

Vanessa Zuccarini, Kerzner International, 954-809-2619, [email protected]

About Sea Turtle Conservancy

Sea Turtle Conservancy is an international nonprofit and the world’s oldest marine turtle research and conservation organization. Founded in 1959, Sea Turtle Conservancy is dedicated to ensuring the survival of sea turtles through research, education, advocacy and the protection of natural habitats upon which they depend. Learn more at www.conserveturtles.org.

About Atlantis, Paradise Island

Atlantis, Paradise Island is a unique, ocean-themed destination located on Paradise Island, The Bahamas, and features a variety of accommodations, all built around a 141-acre waterscape comprised of over 20 million gallons of fresh and seawater lagoons, pools and habitats. Home to the largest open-air marine habitat in the world, there are over 50,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays, including The Dig, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis. Atlantis funds the blue project that is dedicated to protecting endangered marine animals and their coral reef habitats through research, conservation and education programs.

Learn more at www.atlantisblueproject.org.