Sea turtle nesting season is wrapping up along the coastlines of South Carolina and Georgia, marked by fluctuations and surprises this year. The local conservationists have monitored the hatchlings closely, identifying several challenges that these marine creatures faced during the season.
Spanning from Tybee Island to Hilton Head, the conservation efforts have been vigilant, with an attitude of optimism despite the hurdles encountered. Unpredictable weather patterns and heavy rainfall have set the stage for this year’s varying turtle nest counts.
On Hilton Head Island, 237 nests were recorded, significantly lower than the anticipated 350. This reduction is potentially attributed to the unusually cold ocean temperatures caused by last winter’s rare snowfall, which might have affected the food chain.
Amber Kuehn, Director of Sea Turtle Patrol at Hilton Head Island, noted, “We expected a higher return, but with the unexpected snowfall, we’ve seen similar drops in previous years too. The turtles seemed to be more cautious this year.”
The cautious behavior was evident in the number of false crawls, where turtles ventured ashore but didn’t nest, possibly indicating environmental stressors or beach disruptions.
Kuehn remarked, “The ratio of nests to false crawls has been exceptionally high, not just here but across South Carolina. We’ve recorded about 89% false crawls compared to nests, whereas this figure typically hovers around 50%.”
Over on Tybee, 19 nests were recorded. The number of nests is a strong showing for the Island’s size and development. However, excessive rainfall and flooding have left many nests at risk.
So far, only 14 have successfully hatched. Tybee in August alone saw about 2 feet of rainfall, double the Island’s average.
“The remaining nests that haven’t hatched yet. They all had sitting water on them. I wouldn’t be shocked if the rest of the remaining nests didn’t hatch this season because of that sitting water,” said Alli Caldwell, the Programs Director of the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
While nesting season officially runs through October, most of the laying has already wrapped up, and hatchlings are currently making their way to sea. Conservationists say public awareness, like filling in beach holes and keeping lights low, can make a big difference.
“It surprises me how much people don’t understand how leaving a hole unfilled can affect the nesting process and how just leaving a trail can change everything. Our human impact trail can affect wildlife,” said Caldwell.
Each year, only 1 in 1,000 sea turtles will survive to adulthood. That’s why every nest and every hatchling matters. Sea turtles generally skip two years between their nesting intervals. So this nesting season may not have broken records, both islands are hoping for a bounce-back year in 2026.
