He said on his blog that he was posing for the photo when a sea turtle came up for a breath of air at just the right moment.

The island, according to de Jesus is "one of the world's best known community-managed Marine Protected Area[s]."

De Jesus has been contacted by multiple media outlets on his blog for interviews and to confirm the photo is real.  He told an NBC News producer in the comments that "the photo is authentic, just like the turtle."

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)