A Thousand to One Chance of Survival

Sometimes you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Last month, the stars were perfectly aligned when my husband and I witnessed an event that most people will never see in their lifetimes—a rare daytime sighting of loggerhead turtle hatchlings marching to the sea. It was such a thrilling experience I wanted to share it with you.

We were in Palm Coast, Florida, relaxing on the beach. My husband decided to bring the camera to the beach, something he rarely does. We were lounging on beach chairs under an umbrella when an ATV approached and parked at a turtle nest behind us. The nest was marked with four stakes, survey ribbon and a sea turtle nest sign. We’ve seen those roped-off nests along the beach nestled near the dunes but had never had a turtle encounter, until now.  

The two people in the ATV were part of the Volusia/Flagler Sea Turtle Patrol, a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers that monitor and protect nesting sea turtles from May until September. Apparently, someone had reported seeing turtles leave the nest the night before. But not all the turtles were able to get out.

While we were on the beach, the turtle patrol volunteers reached into the nest, lifted out 97 two-inch hatchlings [female turtles produce an average of 100 to 126 eggs at a time], temporarily placed them in a cooler and released them into the sea. Without their help, the turtles may not have made it to the water.

Hatchlings wandering the beach are weakened and often die of dehydration or fall prey to predators. I think it’s wonderful that volunteers patrol the nests and watch out for the endangered and vulnerable loggerheads.

Here are some facts I learned about loggerheads from the Volusia/Flagler Sea Turtle Patrol Web site:

• The east coast of Florida is the second largest nesting site for loggerhead turtles in the world.
• Loggerheads, named for their large heads, are brownish orange, weigh 200 to 350 pounds and measure three feet in length.
• The main threats to the survival of the loggerhead population in Florida are drowning in shrimp trawl nets, loss of habitat, pollution, becoming entangled in discarded fishing line, ropes and nets or being hit by boat propellers.
• The female turtle usually crawls ashore at night to lay her eggs in the soft sand. She lays an average of 100 eggs, covers the nest to hide it from predators and returns to the ocean. She may return to nest again in 14-day intervals, several times a season.
• The eggs must incubate undisturbed for 50 to 70 days before they hatch. Hatchlings usually emerge at night in a united effort and crawl toward the water. This crawl is believed to imprint a memory that enables them to return to the same beach 15 to 20 years later to reproduce. The march to the sea I witnessed is certainly imprinted on my memory.
• Once the hatchlings make it to the water, they have a difficult life ahead. It is estimated that only one in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to breeding age, which is about 20-years-old or more for a sea turtle.

I thought you’d enjoy some of the pictures my husband took.

Have you ever witnessed a phenomenon like the loggerhead march to the sea?