Holden Beach Turtle Patrol

The Holden Beach Turtle Patrol is a long-running volunteer program that monitors loggerhead sea turtle nests on the island from May through October. Volunteers walk the beach at dawn looking for fresh tracks, mark and protect new nests, and stand vigil through the night when hatchlings are due to emerge. Visitors are welcome to watch a "boil" — the moment when dozens of newborn turtles burst from the sand and make their dash for the sea — but only from a distance, with red flashlights, and at the patrol's direction.

The program runs free public talks during the summer at the Holden Beach Town Hall, where you can see hatchlings up close and hear what a season of nest monitoring actually involves. Even outside the season, the marker posts and tape that surround the nests are visible all along the beach.

things to do sight wildlife
A story
Loggerhead turtles return to nest on the beach where they were hatched, navigating across hundreds of miles of open ocean to within a few hundred metres of the same dune. Each female lays around 120 eggs; most hatchlings will not survive their first day, but the few that do may grow to over 350 pounds and live for more than 70 years before returning to nest on Holden Beach themselves.