Green sea turtle leaving her nest. Photo Copyright Jim Angy.
If you’re looking for something different this summer, how about watching a sea turtle laying eggs at night on a Florida beach?
You’ll have the best chance of seeing a turtle on Florida’s Atlantic coast beaches on a guided turtle walk. Sea turtles do nest along Florida’s Gulf coast, but not in the huge numbers found on the Atlantic side.
The way it usually works is you’ll meet with a group at a location where you’ll watch an educational presentation by a turtle expert. Then, at the right time, you’ll be led out onto the beach to look for a turtle. Some of the walks actually send scouts out to find an egg-laying turtle while you are enjoying the presentation. Always go with a guide. Don’t try to go out and look for turtles on your own. The guides are licensed by the state to approach turtles and they know how to do it without scaring them off the nest.
You’ll need to sign up in advance. There are limited spaces available and they usually fill up before the end of May. The walks are held in June and July. Most guided walk programs offer turtle walks two nights per week. Some walks are less strenuous than others, though all may last from 9 pm until well past midnight. There is a modest fee for the walks. Flash photography is not allowed, nor are flashlights allowed on the beach at night.
Where can you get signed up?
The Sea Turtle Preservation Society leads an excellent walk in the Indialantic area. I enjoyed one of their walks several years ago and we saw several turtles.
Florida Oceanographic leads guided walks in the Stuart, Florida area.
The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center offers guided turtle walks in Boca Raton, FL.
The Sea Turtle Conservancy leads guided turtle walks in the Melbourne Beach area.
The John U. Lloyd Beach State Park sea turtle awareness program offers guided turtle walks in Dania, FL (Ft. Lauderdale area).
Sebastian Inlet State Park offers guided turtle walks in the park, which is south of Melbourne Beach, Florida.
Canaveral National Seashore offers guided turtle walks. This is a very remote beach.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission offers a comprehensive list of places where you can see sea turtles and of all the guided walks available.
