It’s turtle walk season, a time when people can witness one of the Atlantic Coast environment’s most remarkable moments: sea turtle nesting. Local residents and visitors in northern Palm Beach County can register for guided walks at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach or MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach to see female sea turtles lay nests in the sand.

However, you don’t need to sign up for a formal excursion for your chance to see this phenomenon. You can take a walk on our local beaches late at night or early hours of the morning in attempts to find a mama turtle. Just keep these few tips in mind:

Finding Mama

You may see tracks resembling tires leading to a mama turtle finding her way to her perfect spot. The egg-laying process can take the turtle about 45 minutes to an hour and eggs are typically laid about a foot below the surface of the sand, somewhere about halfway between the beach’s shoreline and the dunes.

 

Put Your Phone Away

Light from phones can disorient nesting turtles, which can discourage them from laying any eggs on the beach that night and be disorienting to hatchlings. Red light is less distracting for sea turtles because they view them as dimmer than white light

 

Wear Dark Clothing

Darker clothing helps the individuals to blend in with dark surroundings better than bright clothing. It ultimately helps limit the impact to the turtle.

 

Be Respectful

When visiting nesting turtles, the farther away you are, the better. The distance should be at least 30 feet away or more to not disrupt the turtle. Using “indoor” voices with friends is also encouraged as to not be a distraction in the process.

 

Be sure to check out the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach for more educational information, tips and excursions!