There is something very special that happens at our Florida beaches at night! Between the months of March and October, it is sea turtle nesting season. The summer months tend to be when sea turtles’ eggs will hatch, come to life, and scurry their way to the ocean to improve their chances of survival. Sea turtle encounters are fun family adventures.
You may have seen areas on your beach that are marked off by a stake or caution tape. These are the areas where a sea turtle will lay her eggs in the sand. The sand acts as an incubation area where after about 60 days the eggs will hatch. The sea turtle nests are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Beaches up and down our coastline have programs to document many aspects of their marine environment.
Sea Turtle Encounters
Many of these locations offer hatchling viewing opportunities that are open to the public. They offer presentations on sea turtles and the work that each organization is doing to help in the conservation of this marine wildlife. These experiences include an educational session before the actual hatchling viewing. The event takes place in the evenings. Sea turtles need only natural light to guide them to the ocean. You can log onto the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website and search turtle hatchings to find all the Sea turtle hatchling release locations in Florida. Turtle walk information is also included on this website.
Turtle Hatchling & Walk Opportunities
- Miami-Dade County Sea Turtle Conservation Program – There is a fee to attend the viewing and the age requirement is 7 years or older. You can adopt a sea turtle nest at this location also. The little guys don’t go home with you, but it is a symbolic event and all monies for adoption and hatchling releases go back into the program to help the efforts. This organization has two locations on their website: Crandon Park and Haulover. To purchase tickets for these events, you have to go to their bio on their Instagram.
- Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program (NSU program) – This event takes place at Hollywood Beach. There is a fee to attend the hatchling event and the age requirement is 3 years and older. (This program has the youngest age requirement that I was able to locate). To purchase tickets for this event, you must go to their Facebook page, and go to Events. They release dates each week and tickets do go fast.
- Loggerhead Marinelife Center – This center is in Juno Beach, located in Palm Beach County. This center focuses predominantly on everything sea turtle from rehabilitation to turtle walks to sea nest adoption. The turtle walk is more about observing the nest and learning about the egg-laying process. The minimum age to attend a turtle walk event is 10 years old. For those sea turtle enthusiasts, they also have a Jr. Vet Lab. Children ages 6-10 can care for their own replica patient.
Fun Family Adventures
These three locations above are just a few places in the state of Florida where you can encounter sea turtles in their habitats. Teaching our children the importance of respecting our planet and nature can begin with a simple “turtle walk.” The more we learn about sea turtles and their rescue and rehabilitation, it can spark a love in our children to pursue a career. There are many sea turtle specialists who work to help with the conservation of this animal.
Whether it is just a fun family activity together to learn more about the beauty of creation around us or we have a child with marine life in their future, there is something very exciting about experiencing this miracle of nature!
