ROYAL Navy able rating Megan Page has swapped the air traffic control tower at RNAS Culdrose for helping to rescue turtles in the Caribbean.

The trained as a meteorological observer is currently on deployment with HMS Dauntless and joined a team of volunteers clearing plastic and rubbish from the nesting grounds of turtles on the island of Curaçao.

She said: “The environment is very important to the Royal Navy and, with the growing impact of climate change, we are here today to conduct a beach clean-up.

“It is important to be able to work with local organisations as part of this deployment to understand the challenges faced by marine life and support where we can.”

Sea turtles often mistake plastic debris for food, leading to ingestion and internal injuries that can prove fatal. Entanglement in discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste presents life-threatening hazards for these gentle marine creatures.

The joint effort by the Royal Navy and Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao aims to raise awareness about the urgent need to combat ocean plastics and safeguard the biodiversity of the world’s oceans.