As she labored, stars sparkled like diamonds embedded in the midnight sky. The sea breeze carried exotic aromas – seaweed, fish and ocean salt overlaid with faint suggestions of faraway places.
A female loggerhead turtle dropped white, golf ball-sized eggs one by one.
Using her flippers she’d scooped out a deep hole in the wet sand just above the surf line at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Vero Beach.
One by one, the eggs dropped. There can be over 100 of them. Hers is a long labor of love carried out under the cover of darkness.
She swims in the ocean her entire life yet pregnancy brings her out of her element, often back to the beach were she was born. She struggles up the beach, not a safe thing to do, drawn forward by a primordial urge to powerful to deny.
“Everyone stay behind her so she doesn’t see us,” said the guide for our nighttime turtle walk. “Children down in front, lie down on the sand to watch her deliver her eggs. Adults behind please.”
Children scooted into place. We adults were ringed behind them. In silence we watched this amazing event. Cell phone cameras clicked.
There are moments when it is all right to cry. This was one of them. I am not ashamed to say I stood there and cried.
Sea turtles have been coming to Florida beaches for millions of years
I shed tears for the sheer beauty of the scene. More tears for the ancient wonder of it all – sea turtles have been coming ashore laying eggs for MILLIONS of years.
I cried most of all for the children in front – our best hope of finding a way that we can co-exist with turtles into the future.
Sea turtles at Turtle Trek, Sea World, Orlando
In 60 days or so the eggs hatch. Sea turtle hatchlings are drawn to light sources, that would be the light glow on the ocean. But they get turned around by porch lights, street lights and more behind them. That is why there is a campaign to “turn off lights at night” during turtle nesting season.
This experience of seeing a female loggerhead turtle lay eggs is part of Chapter 30: Guided Nighttime Turtle Walk. You can read it in my book 50 Great Walks in Florida.
June through August is the time loggerhead turtles come ashore in Florida on both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic beaches to lay eggs. Various groups have turtle walks at night and hatchling releases. Signups are required. Spaces go fast.
Sebastian Inlet State Park at Melbourne Beach has a very active turtle walk program:
SEA TURTLE WALKS (RESERVATIONS)
Sebastian Inlet State Park
Date: May 15 – July 31, 2012
Description:
Learn about Florida’s giant sea turtles and maybe see a nesting Loggerhead sea turtle on a park ranger led tour. Reservations for the month of June will be taken on May 15, 2012, starting at 10:00 a.m. Reservations for the month of July will be taken on June 15, 2012, starting at 10:00 a.m.
Call 772-388-2750 for reservations additional information.
Participation Requirements
Fees: Regular park entry fees apply
Contact: Contact park for more information
Directions:
From Indian River County: From Interstate 95, take the Fellsmere/Sebastian exit and go east (towards Sebastian) on County Road 512. After a short distance, turn right on County Road 510. This road will intersect with U.S. Highway 1. Continue east, over the Indian River, to State Road A1A. Turn left (north) and go 7 miles on State Road A1A, you will have arrived at Sebastian Inlet.From Brevard County: From Interstate 95, take the U.S. 192 exit and go east until you reach State Road A1A in Indialantic. Turn right (south) on State Road A1A and go 18 miles to get to Sebastian Inlet.
Our GPS locations are as follows:
North Ranger Station (North Entrance) N 27 degrees, 51.758 minutes x W 080 degrees, 27.063 minutes
South Ranger Station (South Entrance_ N 27 degrees, 51.523 minutes x W 080 degrees, 26.884 minutes
Inlet Marina (State Park marina) N 27 degrees, 51.467 minutes x W 080 degrees, 27.571 minutes
Park Administrative Offices N 27 degrees, 52.501 minutes x W 080 degrees, 27.419 minutes
Here is a schedule for Broward county Florida Sea Turtle Conservation Program:
Turtle Walks – Charges may apply
- Key Biscayne: Crandon Park Visitors’ and Nature Center
6767 Crandon Blvd., 305-361-6767 ext 112. Walks are 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations required. - Miami Beach: Haulover Beach Park
10800 Collins Ave., 305-361-6767 ext 112. Walks are 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Reservations required. - Dania Beach: John Lloyd Park
6503 N. Ocean Dr., 954-923-2833. Walks are 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Reservations required. - Fort Lauderdale: Museum of Discovery and Science
401 SW Second Pl., 954-713-0930 www.mods.org. Reservations required. - Boca Raton: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
1801 N. Ocean Blvd. 561-338-1473 www.gumbolimbo.org. Reservations required.
Hatchling Releases – Charges may apply
- Hollywood: Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park
751 Sheridan St, 954-926-2480.
Walks are 8-10 p.m. Wednesday and Friday nights. Reservations required. - Boca Raton: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. 561-338-1473 www.gumbolimbo.org. Reservations required.
NSU Oceanographic Center supplies the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program with contract employees.
Three good sea turtle websites :
Mote Marine Lab Sea Turtle Conservation
Gulf of Mexico Sea Turtle Network
For a much different kind of experience than walking the beaches at night consider visiting the new Turtle Trek at Sea World in Orlando. As part of your research, before going to Sea World, look at the behind-the-scenes Webisodes on making Turtle Trek and the making of the awesome 3-D movie.
Turn off lights sign at Turtle Trek, Sea World, Orlando
There is a surprise right away at Turtle Trek because the first thing you see is – manatees, up close, personal and very large. In fact you spend about 10 minutes viewing manatees, the gentle giants, before getting 3D glasses and going into a theater to see the story of a baby sea turtle emerging from the nest, facing life in the ocean, and growing up to return to the same beach to lay her eggs.
All along the walkway into the Turtle Trek are signs saying: “Be a Local Hero”. The whole “hero” thing is a bit puzzling until you get to the first talk by the guide and then the movie.
“What are a sea turtle’s favorite food?” she asks. “Fish” kids scream in reply. Well, fish is part of the word. Their favorite food is JELLYFISH.
And what looks like a jellyfish? A plastic bag floating in the ocean. During the 3D movie, jellyfish float by and tucked in there, looking just like a jellyfish, is a plastic bag. Look for it.
Turtles eat these bags and die from getting their digestive track clogged.
How can you be a local hero? Clean up after yourself at the beach, remove all plastic bags, all trash. Their motto: “Don’t trash where you splash.”
The hero theme comes on strong at the end of the 3D movie and hopefully, it is effective. I certainly was impressed.
Behind the scenes Sea World is a leading rehabilitation center for manatees and sea turtles and other sea life.
Turtle release sign at Turtle Trek, Sea World, Orlando
Just a small heads up: the signage at Sea World is terrible. Direction signs are misleading, start you going one way and then don’t take you where you need to go, in fact sometimes the signs even point in the wrong direction.
I had to ask three times for directions to actually find Turtle Trek, people vaguely pointed oh, keep on going to the left.
Along the way I saw people stopped and looking puzzled and heard a number of conversations that contained words like: “Well the sign said it was this way . . .” Eventually you will find it.
Advice: Don’t pay the entrance price on the Sea World website. Shop around online for a discount.
DID YOU KNOW? Thanks to subscriber Robin Kelly, here is her e mail comment and it is an excellent addition to last month’s Saturday Morning Magazine article on Florida State Parks:
I live by Honeymoon Island, so I always get my annual pass. Just recently, Veterans can save 25% off an annual pass. The rules can be found at:
http://www.floridastateparks.org/thingstoknow/annualpass.cfm#discountsforveterans
Just thought in economic hard times, this discount might help more people enjoy the parks.
Thank you, Robin, I learned something new!
MORE TO EXPLORE
Four travel journalists find great food on the open road
Discover downtown St. Petersburg