Great Gulf Turtle Race 2012 – your week one update

The preliminaries are over, the Great Gulf Turtle Race has been in progress for a week and it's already an absorbing contest.

Fitted with lightweight transmitters and starting out from a number of different points around the Gulf, our 28 contesting hawksbill turtles are now well on their way, swimming around the region. We're using our satellite tracking system to record every kilometer they cover and the one who clocks up the most will be declared the winner of this year's race.

At the moment the field is led by Laura Bora, who has covered 300 kms in this first week, followed by Shelby on 227 kms and Al Fareeda on 217 kms.

So let's get straight on to the question you're sure to be asking…

How did Laura Bora get to the top?

Last time we updated you on Laura Bora, before the race had started, she had already accumulated the highest total of 1163 kms.

Now, as she heads southwest down the northern Oman coast from Daymaniyat islands, she is keeping that impressive streak going and leading the pack by some distance with another 300 kms. And this time, the kilometers she covers will count towards her final total.

But as previously mentioned, this race is hugely unpredictable from one week to the next and there is still plenty of time for everything to change.

Will Laura Bora still top the table at the end of the race? Will she even be topping it at the end of next week? Only time will tell.

The serious side of the race

As well as having fun with the Turtle Race, we're also using our tracking system to chart the turtles' movements and learn more about their habits. This data will help guide decision-makers to develop effective strategies for protecting the turtles.

Vote for your favourite turtle!

There's one more way for a turtle to be a winner – and you can help. Just decide which contestant should win the Most Popular Turtle award and cast your vote at www.gulfturtles.com

You can base your decision on their appearance, their courage, their character, or just the fact that they're representing your organisation. It's entirely up to you, so please don't forget to vote - and invite your family and friends to vote as well.

The voting tallies will be constantly updated on the www.gulfturtles.com website.

As of June 17th, the turtles at the top of the popularity polls are: