It was a big splash for "Ida" the sea turtle as she returned to the wild, off the Florida Keys' Sombrero Beach, supported by dozens of cheering humans last Saturday. After a traumatic encounter involving a lobster trap, the 200-pound loggerhead was set free after a stint of medical R&R at the local Turtle Hospital. As reported by South Florida Reporter, Ida Short, a tourist from New Brunswick, Canada, and her husband were the ones to find Ida entangled, struggling for her life.

Ida, the namesake of her rescuer, was in a tight spot off the Keys before being saved. Wrapped up in a buoy line from a lobster trap, it was the quick action of the U.S. Coast Guard and Turtle Hospital personnel that brought her ashore for the urgent care she needed. According to the account by the CBS Miami Team, Ida's treatment included wound care, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and fluids, topped with vitamins and an anti-inflammatory.

"It makes you feel really good to do a good thing like that," Ida Short told the CBS Miami Team, whose seafaring good deed not only saved a life but gave a name to the massive turtle. "She weighed 200 pounds... she's a big girl!" Short continued, emphasizing the impressive size of the now-healthy reptile set back to the sea.

Offering a tip to fellow marine enthusiasts, Short said, "There's turtles out there all over when you're fishing," as reported by the South Florida Reporter. She urged boaters to keep their eyes open for these creatures that frequently pop up, highlighting the importance of ensuring their safety within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

The Turtle Hospital has a storied history of its own, opening 38 years ago in Marathon, prided as the world's first state-licensed veterinary sea turtle hospital. This renowned facility not only has treated and released thousands of sea turtles back into the wild but also is famed for its "turtle ambulances" that transport the shelled patients in need of medical attention.