Lights Out For Sea Turtles In Florida! What To Know And How To See ...

Turtle Nesting and Hatching Season in Florida

When it comes to large migrating turtles, your first thoughts may go to places like Costa Rica or places in the Caribbean and Pacific, but each year from March through October between 40,000 and 84,000 nests are dug in the sand along Florida beaches.

This means that nearly 90% of sea turtle nesting in the US occurs in Florida.

Most sea turtles migrate between foraging and nesting grounds.

For nesting migration, females don’t just migrate to lay their eggs.

Both males and females will migrate to nesting areas to breed, generally in the area where they were born.

Researchers believe a number of factors such as ocean currents, water chemistry, and the earth’s magnetic field may influence the turtle’s ability to pinpoint their birth place.

Living close to the beautiful beaches in Naples, we love getting to the beach and seeing a new sea turtle nest or two taped off with bright yellow caution tape.

It’s a good reminder to fill in our beach trenches, demolish our sandcastles, and turn off the lights on the beach.

Because of its secluded nature, Keewaydin Island is always a good spot to see turtle nests during Florida’s turtle season — sometimes hundreds of them are cordoned off to protect them from predators.

Local businesses in Naples and elsewhere in southwest Florida do a great job at turning off beach lights overlooking the sand, but if they don’t, please remind them!

We do all we can to not disturb or distract sea turtles and help make their path to the beach as smooth as possible.

Female sea turtles return at night to the beaches where they hatched, and come ashore to dig their nests and lay their eggs in the soft sand.

If the ocean begins to warm early, those giant ancient mariners, leatherback turtles, sometimes arrive as early as February.

Hauling their weight by paddling up the beach with their flippers beyond the high tide mark is a laborious task.

It’s hard to imagine how they manage. But they do.

SEA TURTLES IN FLORIDA: 5 NATIVE SPECIES

Along Florida’s 1,200 miles of coastline you’ll find five species of sea turtles all varying in weight and size.

From smallest to largest, these species of sea turtles in Florida are the most common turtles to nest on its shores — Kemp’s Ridley, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Green, and Leatherback turtles.

In southwest Florida, the most common species of sea turtles you might see are Green Turtles, Leatherbacks, and Loggerheads.

Kemp’s Ridley

The endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtles are the smallest measuring about 2 feet in length and weighing in at 75-100 pounds (34-45 kgs).

The Kemp’s Ridley is unique to the Gulf of Mexico so you’ll generally not see them anywhere else.