Folly Beach Turtle Watch Program

09/26/2026

09/26/2026

Tomorrow you can meet the Team, SCDNR Marine Conservation Team and South Carolina Aquarium SeaTurtle Care Center plus get this amazing Event Tee
Lowlife 106 East Hudson
2pm to 6pm
9.27.26

09/22/2026

Sea turtle hatchlings are dying because of artificial light.

When we light the beach, we hijack a hatchling’s instinct to reach the ocean. Artificial light confuses hatchlings to head towards buildings, pools and roads where they become trapped, exhausted, dehydrated or killed. They fight with everything they have to keep going, but our lights are leading them away from the sea.

So far this season, hatchling misorientations have been recorded from 15 nests — 13 in Grand Cayman and two in Cayman Brac. Together, those nests produced over 1,000 hatchlings, many of which didn't make it to the sea.

If you live or manage a beachfront property, do not wait until you know a turtle nest is nearby to change harmful lighting. Every non-turtle-friendly light that is visible from the beach is a danger to hatchlings.

Look at your property from the beach after dark. If your lights are visible from the beach and are not turtle-friendly, turn them off throughout nesting season or contact DoE about turtle-friendly lighting solutions.

READ the full story at
https://doe.ky/turtle-hatchlings-found-dead-in-east-end/

Turtle Hotline: 938-NEST (938-6378) for emergencies
Turtle-friendly lighting contact: [email protected]

09/22/2026

Something remarkable is happening along Southern California’s coast. 🐢 A sea turtle has reportedly come ashore and nested in Huntington Beach, while another nesting event in nearby Seal Beach has reportedly included eggs confirmed by NOAA. If verified, these observations would be notable because sea turtles typically return to suitable nesting beaches after spending years at sea.

NOAA says female sea turtles can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles between feeding and nesting areas. 🌊 The exact historical significance of Huntington Beach should be stated carefully until wildlife authorities confirm whether this is among the first recorded nests there. For now, the sightings are a remarkable reminder of how much wildlife depends on healthy beaches. 🌱

📌Sources: NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Ocean Service

09/22/2026

Unfortunately, we have a sad story to share. However, we hope that it is an opportunity to educate, which is a critical part of conservation.

On 9/18, our FBTW volunteer observed signs that Nest #122 in 2nd block West of the pier had emerged after 55 days of incubation…And appeared to be a significant emergence at that.

Sadly, the hatchling tracks told a very clear story: ALL of the hatchlings left the nest and traveled directly landward toward nearby residential and commercial lights behind the nest, rather than toward the ocean, as they are naturally conditioned to do by following the moon’s reflection on the water.

This resulted in one of the most severe misorientations we have observed, with hatchlings traveling across the dunes, into parking lots, under the pier, on and under porches, and bumping into items left on the beach. Only five live hatchlings were recovered throughout the day, from dunes, porches, parking lots, and as far east as 6 blocks away.

What happens on our beaches after dark matters- A LOT. Artificial light can misorient sea turtle hatchlings away from the ocean and into areas where they can become disoriented, exhausted, injured, or killed.

Folly Beach has a protective lighting ordinance, like most beach communities, which (simply put) requires that no artificial lights are visible from the beach from dusk til dawn.

We still have nests remaining on Folly (and other beaches).

Let’s all do our part: Please help keep our beaches dark and flat so our hatchlings can get safely to the ocean.

If you come across a sea turtle, or have lighting concerns on the beach, please immediately call Folly Beach Public Safety (843-588-7003)- they will contact our permitted team so we can do our best to help.

FBTW volunteers are permitted under SCDNR permit MTP-520.

09/18/2026

First, a correction to our earlier post: It was Nest 111 that emerged, with 103 hatchlings—not Nest 103.

Because we never saw an emergence from Nest 103, we inventoried it on Day 70, worried that none of the eggs had survived. Instead, we were delighted to find that 57 of its 75 eggs had hatched—a 76% hatch rate.

By relocating these two doomed nests, we helped save a total of 160 hatchlings that otherwise would have been washed away. For these 160 little turtles, we know our work made a difference. 🐢💚

FBTW performs all sea turtle nesting activities under SCDNR Permit .

09/06/2026

We love volunteering for the Folly Beach Turtle Watch. It can be sweaty, smelly and tiring work, but it is also deeply satisfying. It gives us a sense that we are contributing and making a difference.

But most of the time, that is all it is—a sense. We hope our work is having a positive impact on sea turtle populations, and we are fairly confident that it is.

Rarely do we receive irrefutable confirmation that something we did truly made a difference.

Recently, Nests 103 and 111 had been incubating for more than 30 days when a three-foot-high escarpment began closing in on them. New-moon spring tides of 6.3 feet were predicted for the next two nights. Those tides almost certainly would have claimed one, if not both, of the nests.

We requested permission from SCDNR to relocate them. SCDNR is understandably very judicious about approving the relocation of incubating nests, so we were both surprised and grateful when we received the green light.

With great care, we moved Nests 103 and 111 to safer locations on Days 31 and 35 of their incubations. And yes, the subsequent high tides washed away their original locations.

Nest 103 has now emerged—and 103 of its 110 eggs hatched, with a hatch success and emergence success of 92.7%.

Nest 111 is still incubating, and we are waiting with our fingers crossed. 🤞

For once, we do not have to wonder whether our work made a difference. For at least 103 little turtles, we know that it did.

FBTW is permitted by SCDNR and performs all sea turtle nesting activities under SCDNR Permit # MTP520