Race Turtles

Illustration by Chris Rooney
Nightswimmer

Nightswimmer is one of the biggest turtles in the Race, and is one of rock band R.E.M.’s biggest fans.

She is quite the traveler, having followed R.E.M. to far-flung places on their tours. But, just like the band, Nightswimmer always has Georgia on her mind!

Five-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans is Nightswimmer’s coach, so Nightswimmer should be able to swim faster for longer than anyone else.

Listen to R.E.M.'s Mike Mills discuss why he and his bandmates got involved in the Great Turtle Race, and what he thinks about Nightswimmer's prospects in the Race.

SUBSCRIBE: Cheer for Nightswimmer!

Turtle Name

Nightswimmer (Female)

Sponsor

R.E.M.

Coach

Janet Evans

Length

160 cm (5 ft 3 in)

Width

112.2 cm (3 ft 8 in)

Weight

440 kg (970 lbs)

Will Janet give Nightswimmer an edge in the longest distance competition and in the overall Race? Check back to find out!

 
Where is she now?

Despite going as far south as the other turtles, Nightswimmer turned around and is still heading northwest, but not very quickly. It appears that Nightswimmer might be in a non-reproductive year. Adult turtles that are not ready to reproduce in a given year still make long migrations to find food, but instead of going into the Caribbean like the other turtles, they often remain in deeper waters far out in the open Atlantic.

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