All about Sea Turtles on Hilton Head Island

Every year, something magical happens starting in the spring and summer.  Starting in May, Hilton Head Island becomes nesting ground for hundreds of sea turtles. Laying their eggs with nests hatching 2 months later, these majestic adult creatures and their tiny, endearing crawling babies, captivate the hearts of Hilton Head Island residents and visitors alike.  

There are many things to learn about sea turtles and 2 distinct organizations that help sea turtles thrive on Hilton Head.  For residents and guests, there are a few things that everyone should be aware of so that we help protect this incredible animal.  

All about loggerhead turtles

On Hilton Head, most of the turtles that lay their nests are loggerhead turtles. Nesting season begins in May and ends in September. Female loggerhead turtles can weigh up to about 400 pounds. After coming ashore to dry sand, the female digs an egg chamber with her back flippers and lays roughly 120 eggs. The eggs incubate underground for about 60 days, and the hatchlings develop inside the eggs for about three days before ready to emerge.

Usually before dusk when it’s nice and cool, hatchlings crawl through roughly a foot of sand to reach the surface to hatch. Their first journey is toward the ocean, guided by the moon’s reflection on the water.  Incredibly, this is when their imprinting happens – almost like a GPS system, the tiny creatures will remember where they were born 30+ years later! They swim out to sea, aiming for the open Gulf Stream, which can carry them hundreds of miles away. It’s estimated that only about one in a hundred hatchlings survive to reach the Gulf Stream.

Within the Gulf Stream, hatchlings find shelter among floating sargassum and feed on small organisms. They drift north with the North Atlantic Gyre, eventually crossing the Atlantic. Their destination is the Azores, a chain of islands off Portugal, and the voyage can take up to a year. They remain there for many years!! 

By about 10–15 years of age, a sea turtle is roughly 2.5 feet long and continues to grow slowly for the rest of its life. Around this time, incredibly, they instinctively seek the North Atlantic Gyre again and ride the current back across the Atlantic toward the eastern United States, where they search for abundant feeding grounds until about age 30. 

Male loggerheads never return to shore to nest.  Females reach sexual maturity around 30 and nest about every 3 years.  The females rely on the Earth’s magnetic field—and remember their imprint from their early journey to the Gulf Stream—to navigate back to their natal region. Hatchlings that enter the ocean along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, or North Carolina may consider beaches across all three states as their birthplace. 

During a nesting season, a female may lay five or six nests, on the beach where she was born over 30 years ago. Her nests will each contain around 120 eggs, scattered across her natal beach area every two weeks.

Now that you know everything about sea turtles, you’ll want to know about the two organizations on Hilton Head that help protect the sea turtles and do a lot of education --- Sea Turtle Patrol and Turtle Trackers.  They are distinct organizations because one (Sea Turtle Patrol) has the DNR permit and works diligently to track, mark, patrol and even relocate nests. They are the only ones permitted to touch the turtle nests or even tiny hatchlings.  Turtle Trackers is a volunteer network aimed at education and awareness. Their volunteer network is over 500 volunteers and work to clean up the beaches to make it safe for the turtles, as well as give turtle talks and education about the magnificent creatures. 

About Sea Turtle Patrol 

Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island (STPHHI) is a dedicated volunteer organization that plays a crucial role in monitoring and protecting sea turtles on Hilton Head Island. From May 1st until the end of hatching season, the Sea Turtle Patrol HHI diligently patrols the 14 miles of beach on Hilton Head Island. Their purpose is to search for nesting sea turtle tracks, identify nests, and mark them using poles and flagging tape.To safeguard the nests during incubation, approximately 50% of the nests are carefully moved to higher ground, away from the king high tide line.The organization promotes awareness about these endangered species through public education and outreach efforts. They spread knowledge about sea turtles and their struggle for survival.

About Turtle Trackers 

Turtle Trackers of Hilton Head Island, SC is a 501c3 volunteer organization. Their mission is to assist with the preservation efforts for endangered sea turtles nesting on Hilton Head Island, and to educate the public for the protection of our sea turtle hatchlings heading to the ocean.

Turtle Trackers “put the beach to bed” every evening during turtle season and all 14-miles of our Hilton Head beaches. Their activities include flattening and cleaning Hilton Head’s 14-miles of beach, and educating visitors and residents on sea turtle protection while they enjoy the natural phenomena they are privileged to witness.

These Beach Ambassadors in distinctive white and green Turtle Trackers t-shirts patrol the beaches daily to educate the public on how to protect the nests, turtles and hatchlings. They also flatten sandcastles, fill in holes, pick up trash and assure that the beach is flat, clean and dark for the nesting turtles and hatchlings. They pass out red flashlight filters and report any light infractions from bordering homes and structures.

Are you interested in learning even more?  Attend the “Turtle Talks” and other events held by Turtle Trackers. If you are interested, visit this link. Here you will sometimes find, Amber Kuehn, marine biologist and director of Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island and members of Sea Turtle Patrol offer Turtle Talks throughout the island during turtle season. Turtle Talks offer an interactive and in-depth educational experience for adults and children focused on the life cycles of sea turtles and their hatchlings.  

At Beachside Getaway, we encourage our guests to become enchanted with these creatures – especially the females who imprint with their biological-GPS, make their way all the way to Portugal and back, to lay their eggs where they were born over 30 years ago.  These are incredible species that must be protected so we encourage you to follow all the Turtle Trackers rules and get involved if you’re interested!