A once-in-a-lifetime experience • A father and son rescued about 12 sea turtles off the coast of Haifa

(haipo) Yoav Zilberson and his 9-year-old son Lavi arrived at Meridian Beach in Haifa with the goal of starting the day with an early surf. But the routine morning quickly turned into an extraordinary and particularly exciting adventure, a rare experience that turned the sunrise into an unforgettable memory of giving and meaning.

Sea Turtle Rescue • The turtle crawls towards the sea ◄ Watch

It happened yesterday (Sunday, 17/8/25) morning, at 5:40 AM, Silverson went out to the beach with his 9-year-old son Lavi to start the day with an early surf at Meridian Beach in Haifa. Little did they imagine that that morning, routine would turn into a rare, exciting, and meaningful adventure.

As soon as they reached the shore, the son, Lavi, noticed something small moving in the sand. They approached and to their surprise discovered a young sea turtle, very far from the water, confused and lost. The crows circling above it reminded them of its vulnerable state. Without thinking twice, they took a small vessel, carefully lifted it and led it to the water's edge, to make sure it reached the sea safely.

Yoav Zilberson and his son Lavi thought that was the end of the story, a small rescue, an exciting moment. But then the unexpected happened. They found another turtle, and another, and another. In a short time, they found and rescued about 12 sea turtles, all of them lost and far from the water, exposed to danger. Every time Lavi noticed a passing movement in the sand, they would run together to check and again, another little turtle struggling to find its way.

Moving the sea turtle to a safe place ► Watch

In a conversation with Haifa, Silverson, a resident of Haifa, originally from Herzliya and a practitioner of the NLP method, said: "As a veteran surfer, with more than 43 years of experience in the ocean, I can say that I have never encountered such a sight. It was a rare, almost magical event. Seeing my son so excited, cooperative, and feeling a real responsibility towards a helpless creature was a great gift to me."

Finally, I contacted the Nature and Parks Authority to report the incident. When we called, they were very excited to hear and explained to us that apparently during the 12-Day War, when the beaches were empty of people, the sea turtles came to lay their eggs precisely in areas that are usually crowded with people.

When normalcy returned, the sea turtles were unable to move their eggs to a safer location, and the authority's inspectors also failed to locate these nests to move them to a safer location, as they regularly do as part of their turtle protection activities. This created a situation where the eggs were left unattended, and as a result, the special hatching on Meridian Beach occurred unexpectedly.

This experience is engraved in our hearts. It's not every day that we get to save rare wild animals and give them a chance at life. Lavi told me that he will remember it for the rest of his life, and I also know that I will never forget this morning, when we went surfing and returned with a story about giving, responsibility, and great excitement in the face of the wonders of nature."

Lavi is excited about the turtle rescue event ◄ Watch

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has been working since the mid-80s to protect sea turtles in Israel, with the goal of increasing the chances of survival of hatchlings (offspring of sea turtles). During the nesting season (May-August), the authority's inspectors scan the beaches every morning for traces of females, locate the nests and move them to fenced-in incubation farms, where the eggs are kept in protected conditions until hatching (August-October).

Volunteers accompany the young turtles on their way to the sea, saving them from predation and navigational errors caused by lighting or human activity on the beaches. This activity, which has been going on for about 30 years (the time it takes for a turtle to reach sexual maturity), has led to a gradual increase in the number of laying eggs, especially among female brown sea turtles.

Lavi Silverson saves a sea turtle ► Watch