Beneath the clear waters of the lagoon at Jumeirah Al Naseem, two turtles move with an easy familiarity.  Sunlight ripples across their shells as they glide between rocks and sandy patches, occasionally disappearing from view before resurfacing moments later. Known affectionately as Humpty and Dumpty, they have spent almost a decade in the Turtle Rehabilitation Lagoon after sustaining life-changing boat-strike injuries that made a return to the wild impossible.

Few people know their stories better than Barbara Lang-Lenton, Director of Biodiversity at Jumeirah and one of the driving forces behind the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project. Her own path to marine conservation began far from the sea. Raised in Madrid, she was completing a PhD studying gazelles when a growing passion for diving changed the course of her career. "I started scuba diving and I quit my PhD," she recalls. "I love diving, I love the ocean."

Damage to Humpty and Dumpty’s shells and lungs permanently affected their buoyancy, so Barbara and her team carefully balanced small weights against their carapaces to help them move comfortably through the water once more. “In the lagoon they can swim, dive beneath the rocks, and simply be turtles again,” she says. Today, they are among the lagoon’s much-loved residents. “They are like our kids’ ambassadors. The children come every year to see them. Everyone knows them already.”

That emotional bond sits at the heart of the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project, which this year marks more than two decades of rescue, recovery and release. Since 2004, injured sea turtles have arrived at Jumeirah Burj Al Arab for specialist care before continuing rehabilitation within the sea-fed lagoons of Jumeirah Al Naseem. Over the last twenty years, the project has rehabilitated and released more than 2,300 sea turtles back into the wild. 

Ahead of World Sea Turtle Day on 16 June, a further 23 rehabilitated sea turtles were returned to the sea, with two fitted with satellite tags to support the project's ongoing research and conservation work. For Barbara, release day remains the most rewarding part of the process. “For some people it’s sad to see them go,” she says. “For me, it’s a very happy moment.”

Across the years, the project expanded beyond rescue and recovery. Schoolchildren came to learn about marine conservation, guests gathered to witness releases, and a growing community formed around the turtles and their stories. “People started hearing about the project, and then we started receiving more turtles. It just kept growing and growing,” Barbara says.

Today, the initiative forms part of a wider story unfolding along Dubai’s coastline. Over the years, Barbara has watched the city develop a stronger relationship with the sea, bringing residents, visitors and schoolchildren closer to the marine environment on their doorstep. 

“The turtles we receive reflect what is happening in our oceans,” Barbara says. Some arrive with injuries caused by fishing gear or boat strikes, while plastic remains one of the most persistent challenges. As it breaks down in the water, it can easily be mistaken for food by marine species. Many of the turtles arriving at the project are young Hawksbills, a critically endangered species that nests along this part of the Arabian Gulf. Through each rescue, the team gains a clearer understanding of the pressures facing life beneath the surface.

Barbara has also witnessed a growing sense of care among younger generations. Thousands of schoolchildren now visit the lagoons annually, many arriving already deeply engaged with marine life and conservation. “Little ones are influencing their parents as well,” she says. “We have parents calling and saying that since their children visited the turtles, they get upset whenever they see plastic in the house.”

One turtle in particular remains close to the team’s heart. Farah was rescued by Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, known to many as the “Turtle Sheikh” for his long-standing commitment to sea turtle conservation in the UAE. He later became an ambassador for the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project and helped raise awareness of its work across the region.

“He had to freedive seven metres to rescue her and cut the fishing line that was entangled around her flipper,” Barbara recalls. Farah spent more than a year recovering and relearning how to swim after losing a flipper. When she was finally released with a satellite tracker, Sheikh Fahim stood watching from the shore in tears – satellite tracking later confirmed that she was thriving back in the wild.

Those insights continue to reveal something remarkable about sea turtles and the waters they navigate. Rehabilitated turtles from Dubai have travelled towards India, Oman, Iran and Thailand, journeying across entire regions before returning decades later to the very coastlines where they first began. “They cross continents,” Barbara says. “And then, after twenty or thirty years, they know how to come back.”

For her, those migrations carry an important reminder about shared responsibility. “Whatever we do to our ocean here has a global impact because we don’t have five oceans; we have only one.” she says.

Get in touch with our expert team by contacting 800-TURTLE to learn more about our complimentary educational sessions, which are held every day of the year at 11:00AM at Jumeirah Al Naseem’s Turtle Lagoon for both guests and the general public, or discover more information on our Facebook page.