One little sea turtle was in the right place earlier this month when he began struggling off the coast of Georgia.

A crew from Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary spotted the juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle having buoyancy issues, unable to dive and stay under the water. The crew was at the reef, about 19 miles east of Sapelo Island between Savannah and Brunswick, deploying an autonomous underwater vehicle for a UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography research project.

They rescued the turtle and called Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Once back at the Skidaway Institute dock, they handed the turtle over to Katie Higgins, a new educator and volunteer coordinator at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, who drove it to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, where it will be treated.

Sometimes it takes a village, even for a little sea turtle.