Scott Benson in Monterey Bay, CA. During the late summer and fall, leatherback turtles usually arrive in coastal California waters to feed on schools of jellyfish that mul

Scott Benson, from Monterey Bay, CA. Upon returning from Papua Barat, Indonesia, I was happy to find good weather conditions for a local aerial survey.

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. It’s a beautiful sunny morning, the clearest day we’ve seen all week.

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. The persistent heavy downpour that forced us to cancel tagging operations last night finally subsided to sprinkles during the

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. Upon returning to camp following the previous evenings’ deployments, we catch a few hours of sleep during the cool early mor

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. The leatherback population that nests at the north coast of the Bird’s Head Peninsula is the largest remaining nesting popul

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. It rained most of the day again today, but stopped after the sunset. Nevertheless, we don’t anticipate a dry night.

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. The rain finally stopped for good, although the sky remains dark with clouds.

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. Uninterrupted rain, frequently heavy, has been falling since 8 a.m.

Scott Benson, from Jamursba-Medi, Indonesia. I pledged I’d never be a sea turtle biologist after visiting a turtle beach for the first time in 1989.  Sea turtles nest a