Search
Close this search box.

67 loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings make their way to the Gulf from Destin beach

Dozens of tiny loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings emerged from their nest on a Destin beach late last week and made their way safely to the Gulf of Mexico waters.
Okaloosa County Public Information Office

Dozens of tiny loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings began to emerge from their nest on a Destin beach late last week and made their way safely to the Gulf of Mexico waters.

  • According to Okaloosa County Coastal Resource Coordinator Jessica Valek, 67 hatchlings from a monitored nest hatched on Friday night and managed to crawl unassisted from their nest to the water.

When Valek came back to evaluate the nest this past Tuesday night, she found three additional live hatchlings remaining in the nest. She used the three turtles and the empty eggs as an educational opportunity for a crowd of onlookers before releasing the hatchlings into the Gulf.

  • In an announcement post on social media, Okaloosa County wrote, “Witnessing sea turtle hatchlings making their way from the nest to the shoreline is a gift but remember to keep your distance. It doesn’t take much to hamper their chances of survival.”
Okaloosa County Public Information Office

In total, Valek’s team counted 133 eggs in the nest.

According to her, this is just one of 11 monitored loggerhead nests currently on Destin and Okaloosa Island beaches. Valek and the county’s Coastal Resource Team work diligently to protect sea turtles and educate the public.

“This has been an exciting season for us. We have double the number of nests that we had last year,” said Valek. “And we still have 11 nests that we are monitoring on our beaches so hopefully we will still have continued hatching success!

Okaloosa County Public Information Office

If you are fortunate enough to witness hatchlings emerging, it’s important not to interfere and give them space. The County offered these tips:

  • Watch from a distance. 
  • Allow them to crawl to the water on their own. 
  • Leave them in their nest. 
  • Keep all lights off: this includes phone flashlights and flash photography or videos.

Disoriented hatchlings should be reported immediately to the FWC by calling 1-888-404-FWCC.

Coastal Resource Coordinator Jessica Valek is super excited!

One Response

Join the conversation...

Continue reading 👇

Community Comments

“All the new WRONG WAY and Do Not Enter signs in the Racetrack Rd median look horrible and confuse everyone. Take them down!”
Respond
“Is this how FWB is "revitalizing" downtown. LOL”
Respond
“85 north was a mess. I left Wright at 6:15 pm going up Lewis Turner. Traffic started backing up about 1 mile before the intersection with 85, so I got...”
Respond
“Was this foul play? Cause of death? Didn't sound like he was dressed to go for a swim when last seen so I wonder why and how did he end...”
Respond
“This sounds like damage control right off??”
Respond
“FWB is dying and it brought it upon itself. The good ol boy system is still in place. We are nothing but a pass thru city. What a joke, these...”
Respond
“You forgot to add tattoo shops, thai restraunts, and smoke shops.”
Respond
“What is the update on this facility?”
Respond
“Another gas station. Just what this crappy city needs. Who is on charge of zoning this crap? All fwb is now is self storage, gas stations, and car washes, and...”
Respond
“It is my understanding that the Earnhardt foundation may be trying to push that track to NASCAR. Right now it features “ car-dominimums” and purchased lot of 440 acres”
Respond

GET OUR FREE LOCAL NEWSLETTER

Get the weekday email that actually makes reading local news enjoyable again.