Shirts are now available at The Lighthouse Gifts Inc. on the Holden Beach causeway, at Turtle Talk and Turtle Time this summer and by mail - order shirts and other merchandise; shop here
Found a mother turtle laying a nest? A stranded or injured sea turtle and/or unattended hatchlings?
Call the HBTWP Stranding Team:
910-754-0766 | 24/7/365
Nesting turtles are frightened by lights and won't lay their eggs on a brightly lighted beach. Hatchlings will go to the lights rather than the ocean! Please help us preserve our marine life by keeping beachfront lighting off from May 1st until October 31st. learn more turtle facts
As recommended by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, it is the policy of the HBTWP to NOT disclose the locations or potential hatch dates of active turtle nests on our beach.
A list of nest locations will NOT be published in newspapers, on this website or on other social media. Please do NOT call the emergency number or contact the Project Coordinator to ask about nests. This is for the safety of the turtles! learn more about turtle nesting
Current Nest Count |
False Crawls |
35 |
32 |
Total Known Eggs |
Hatchlings to Ocean |
3599 |
2362 |
posted: September 20, 2025, 3:13 PM
Holden Beach Turtle Patrol joined efforts with the Town of Holden Beach to celebrate International Coastal Clean-up Day. Thanks to everyone who came out to help us clean-up the beach and marsh area of Holden Beach. We picked up two truckloads of trash! About 35 Turtle Patrol members participated. It was great having a troop of 25 American Heritage Girls from all over Brunswick County join in! Thanks, too, to family members, neighbors, visitors and Holden Beach residents who came out to help us keep Holden Beach clean and safe for everyone especially the sea turtles. The Town of Holden...read more of this article.
posted: September 13, 2025, 10:24 AM
This is a REMINDER to signup and join us for the Beach Sweep on Holden Beach next week. Please check out our facebook page or review the full event article, below. The Town of Holden Beach and our Holden Beach Turtle Patrol are partnering this fun event and we look forward to seeing you on the beach. ...read more of this article.
posted: September 7, 2025, 11:48 PM
Our 2026 T-Shirt Design Contest is open September 15-October 15, 2025 for submissions of original hand drawn designs for our 2026 season T-Shirt. If you love turtles and have a talent for graphic design, please consider donating your design to our contest. Put your creative cap on and note these requirements: • Only one design submission allowed, per individual • The design must include a sea turtle • The design must be an original hand drawn design • The design is limited to 2 colors • The design must be in a pdf format to allow for possible changes in...read more of this article.
posted: August 27, 2025, 10:08 AM
The Town of Holden Beach will partner with the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol for International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, 9/20. Individuals interested in helping to pickup trash from the beach with the Turtle Patrol should report to Bridgeview Park (under the water tower) at 7:30am. You will be assigned an area of the beach to cover and should return back to the park by 9am to dispose of your trash. Suggested supplies to bring with you include gloves, a bucket or trash bag, reach grabbers, sunscreen, bug spray, and water. Your participation makes a huge difference in protecting our precious...read more of this article.