At first I thought this was some kind of debris, then realized it was moving towards me, and at a pretty good clip.

I expected he would be heading for the sand dunes behind me: tortoises don’t swim.

Instead he made a turn and continued on at the water’s edge.

Talbot Islands State Parks, Florida
April 27, 2021

The gopher tortoise is one of five North American tortoise species and is the only tortoise naturally found east of the Mississippi River. Its range includes the southeastern Coastal Plain from southeastern Louisiana east to southern South Carolina, and south to Florida.  ~ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission