South Walton Turtle Watch

06/07/2026

🚨 HOTLINE HEROES TO THE RESCUE 🐢💚

When something doesn’t look right, making that call can save a sea turtle’s life!

This juvenile green sea turtle, affectionately named Cleopatra 🥰, was spotted in the bay by an observant family who noticed it appeared to be struggling and showing signs of possible buoyancy issues.

Former SWTW volunteer Rebecca Wilcoxon contacted Lacie through the SWTW hotline, and the rescue mission was on!👏

Enter Tammy…our fearless turtle hero. 💪🐢 Armed with a net and plenty of determination, Tammy hopped on a jet ski and, with help from this amazing family, successfully captured Cleopatra for transport!

A huge thank you to:
💚 Rebecca Wilcoxon
💚 Pierce Wilcoxon
💚 Adriana Wilcoxon
💚 Symone Allen
💚 Joey Wilcoxon

for reporting the turtle, assisting with the rescue, and caring enough to take action.

Cleopatra was safely transported to the Gulfarium CARE Center where it will receive a full examination and any treatment it may need.

This rescue is a perfect reminder that our community plays a critical role in protecting sea turtles. If you see a sick, injured, entangled, or stranded sea turtle, don’t assume someone else has called — make the call!

☎️ SWTW Sea Turtle Hotline: 850-865-4503

Thank you to everyone who helps us protect these incredible animals. Today, because of one phone call and a team effort, Cleopatra has a chance to get the care she needs. 💚

Check out our stories to catch Tammy in action! 😎

**All work is authorized under FWC MTP 120

06/05/2026

Thrilled to be a part of this!! Come and shellabrate with your local turtle heroes 🐢💚

The Wild Within: Florida Wildlife Federation 90th Birthday Celebration at Alaqua Animal Refuge is just two days away!

Come out and celebrate with the Florida Wildlife Federation for their 90th birthday this Sunday for a FREE event with live music, curated vendors, food trucks, a BioBlitz event for the whole family, and a silent auction benefiting FWF.

A huge thanks to The Odd Pelican Beer Co. and Salty Beverages for being a sponsor.

Live Music by Tim Jackson's Rescue Me for their final Sunday until the fall session.

Food, shopping, and vendors include:

CreativBowls, City Streets Food Truck, Alsies 30A, Beachside Blessings, Rooted by Ramsay,Vale of Paradise Mushrooms, HoneyMed, The Bakery Lady -Tabitha Inabnet, Deep Roots Faithful Shoots ,Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles, South Walton Turtle Watch, Sweetbay Chapter Florida Native Plant Society - FNPS, Sandhills Native Nursery & Landscaping,
Archelon Studios, E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center, Nowal Farm, and more!

And as always, plenty of animals to see at the refuge and the weather is going to be spectacular!

06/05/2026

It's , and the loggerhead ladies have been keeping us busy!

SWTW NESTING UPDATE:
🐢🥚 4 Nests
🐢↩️ 12 False Crawls

All loggerheads so far!

We're excited to see so much activity on our beaches, but we're officially requesting for MORE nests and fewer false crawls!! 😅

Did you know sea turtles false crawl about 50% of the time? That means for every turtle that comes ashore, there’s a good chance she may return to the Gulf without laying eggs. Every false crawl means she must try again another night, using additional energy reserves needed for nesting and migration.

Loggerheads typically lay 3–5 nests per season, so reducing disturbances can make a SIGNIFICANT difference in whether a crawl becomes a nest. 🫶

That’s why we keep asking for . The easier we make it for her, the better chance she has of turning a crawl into a nest. 💚

We want to give a shout out to those have been reporting nesting sea turtles to the hotline! Thank you!! Save this ⬇️
SWTW HOTLINE🐢 ☎️ 850.865.4503

Please remember to take everything with you at the end of the day. Chairs, tents, toys, canopies, and other items left behind can create obstacles for nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. Turn those lights OFF please and thank you! And the HOLES…Please fill those in! So dangerous for both sea turtles AND humans!

✨ Clean.✨ Dark.✨ Flat.

It’s that simple.

We are also two weeks into our event series and Wild Sea Turtle Wednesday has been an absolute hit so far! 🥳Thank you to everyone who has stopped by, asked questions, painted turtles, supported our mission, and helped spread the word about protecting our nesting and hatching sea turtles.

The turtles are here, the season is underway, and we're ready to celebrate a whole lot more nests in the weeks ahead. 🐢💚

All work conducted under FWC MTP 120.

06/01/2026

‼️SARGASSUM ⁉️

If you’ve been on the beach lately, you’ve probably noticed all the sargassum washing ashore. While some people see a mess, we see one of the ocean’s most important nurseries.

Out in the Gulf, floating mats of sargassum provide food, shelter, and camouflage for baby sea turtles during the most vulnerable stage of their lives. Tiny hatchlings can hide among it while they grow, helping protect them from predators.

And the benefits don’t stop there!!
Sargassum:
🦀 Provides habitat for fish, crabs, shrimp, and other marine life
🐦 Supports shorebirds by harboring insects and other tasty snacks
🏖️ Helps nourish and build our dunes, providing natural protection from storms and high tides

Nature doesn’t always look picture-perfect, but it’s usually doing exactly what it’s supposed to do!! 🤓

So the next time you see sargassum on the beach, remember: those seaweed piles are more than just seaweed—they’re part of a thriving coastal ecosystem and a temporary home for countless creatures.

Around here, we’ll keep calling them hatchling hotels. 🏨💚🐢

05/29/2026

🚨 HEY HEYYYY IT’S FRIYAY 🚨

WE GOT OUR FIRST NEST!!! 🐢🥳💚
A beautiful loggerhead officially kicked off nesting season, and Susan found her in classic Susan fashion… signature pose and all. Some things truly never change and we won’t have it any other way!! 😍😂👏

Now for the serious part… the tracks tell the story here. This turtle appears to have been followed almost the entire way up the beach 😭, which is HARASSMENT! Friendly reminder: nesting sea turtles are endangered, federally protected wildlife, not a tourist attraction!! Please do not crowd, chase, follow, or shine lights on them while they’re nesting as it’s unlawful to do so! 😤

If you encounter a sea turtle on the beach:
✨ Keep your distance >30 feet back
✨ Stay quiet 🤫
✨ No flashlights or flash photography
✨ Let her do her thing without interruption
☎️ SWTW HOTLINE 850.865.4503

And while we’re at it… it’s officially time to lock in those habits. 🌙🐢
Remove chairs, tents, toys, and trash every night, and turn off or shield beachfront lighting so nesting turtles and hatchlings can safely navigate our beaches. Please and thank you!🙏

SWTWG NESTING UPDATE:
1 Nest
7 False crawls
All Loggerhead 🐢

The season has officially begun, friends. Let’s give these turtles the best shot possible! 💚

**All work conducted under FWC MTP-120**

05/15/2026

Okay but a SONG for the turtles?! 😭🐢🌙
This one hit us right in the feels. Huge thank you to Shoreline for using their voices to help protect our girls and their hatchlings.

Now consider this your nightly reminder to keep our beaches because apparently the turtles have their own soundtrack now and we can’t embarrass them. 💅🌊✨

05/13/2026

Yes! We are often asked how or where to see sea turtles here! Unfortunately we are not permitted to hold these activities as we do not have the nesting density to support it. BUT check out where YOU CAN 👇🤩

THE MORE YOU KNOW: WHERE TO VIEW SEA TURTLES IN FLORIDA 🐢👀

Now that nesting season has officially begun in Florida, we get a lot of questions about the where/how to see turtles. If you want to see a sea turtle in Florida, you can attend a permitted public turtle walk, a public hatchling release, or a nest hatch success evaluation. You can also visit a facility that houses or rehabilitates sea turtles. These activities are conducted by FWC's Marine Turtle Permit Holders (MTPH). For a full list of locations and activities throughout the state, visit FWC's page here: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/sea-turtle/where-to-view/

Photo credit: Amy Waterbury

02/15/2026

✨Under a sky full of stars, she did what she’s done for millions of years.
A green sea turtle returning to the Gulf after depositing her eggs — ancient, steady, unstoppable.💪

Protected. Undisturbed.
All made possible because the beach was . 🐢✨

Tonight, the stars watched her. And we were honored to protect the moment.

**An incredible moment from 2025 season
FWC MTP120

Come on 2026!! 🐢🥳