The 2024 Holden Beach Turtle Shirts are available!

You Can Support Our Efforts to Help the Turtles!

Celebrating 35 Years of Sea Turtle Conservation on Holden Beach!!

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 here!

The Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program, (Turtle Patrol) was founded in 1989 to monitor and protect the sea turtle population on Holden Beach. This all volunteer, nonprofit conservation organization operates under the authority of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 21ST11).

Baby Loggerhead Turtle Baby turtle headed to the ocean!

What we do!

Starting in May, volunteers begin a dawn patrol of the beach searching for turtle crawls and possible nests. Once a sea turtle crawl is found, a team of turtle patrol volunteers assembles at the crawl location to find the eggs. If the nest is in an unsafe location, the nest will be carefully moved to a safer area on the beach. The nest site is then covered with a protective grating and marked off with stakes, ribbon and a warning sign. For the next 50-70 days of incubation the nest will be monitored for signs of an impending hatching. At that time, turtle patrol members will start a nightly watch on the nest until all of the hatchlings are released. The nest is then opened and an inventory is taken to account for any unhatched or non-fertile egg and insure that all live babies make it to the ocean. This process is repeated with each and every nest. The season ends in October when the last nest hatches.

Found a mother turtle laying a nest? A stranded or injured sea turtle and/or unattended hatchlings?

Call the HBTWP Stranding Team at:
910-754-0766 24/7/365

The Statistics For 2024
Current Nest Count	False Crawls
62	40
Total Known Eggs	Total Baby Turtles to Ocean
683	743

Most Recent News:

Kemp's Ridley Rescue July 22

posted: July 23, 2024, 4:39 PM

Numerous calls came in from vacationers who reported seeing a turtle struggling in the surf. Thank you for calling! When the stranding team arrived, she was on the shore and the turtle was identified as a Kemp’s Ridley. These are the smallest sea turtle in the world and the most ...click to read more of this news article.

First nest to hatch in NC

posted: July 21, 2024, 10:55 AM

Nest 2 boiled overnight on Monday July 15 making it the first nest to hatch in NC this season. About 100 hatchlings made it down the long, dark runway into the ocean. Other nests are being "collared" when they reach 50 days after they were laid, when doing this we ...click to read more of this news article.

Teams begin watching for hatchlings

posted: July 14, 2024, 9:58 AM

Turtle patrol teams are now on the beach in the evenings preparing and watching the nests. Fifty days after the mother laid the turtle nest a team puts a "collar" on the nest and digs a "trench" to help guide the hatchlings toward the ocean. Day #55 after the nest ...click to read more of this news article.

4th of July Rescue

posted: July 5, 2024, 11:54 AM

Our stranding team got several calls on July 4 regarding a sea turtle in the surf off of out beach. Upon responding, "Stranding Team Tucker" observed the turtle in obvious distress. With the help of many beachgoers, they were able to bring the turtle to shore. The turtle was taken ...click to read more of this news article.

Season is well underway

posted: July 1, 2024, 2:42 PM

July 1 and our turtle season is well underway. We currently have 39 nests on the beach (slightly ahead of where we were last year on this date). Evening teams will begin to "watch" the first nests starting next weekend and expect to see our first hatchlings within the next ...click to read more of this news article.

Children's Turtle Time starts June 26

posted: June 21, 2024, 12:46 PM

Our first Children's Turtle Time will begin on Wednesday June 26 at 4 p.m. This program is specifically for children ages 3 – 4 and 5 – 6. An adult should remain with the child during the 45-minute program. If a family has two or more children that fall within ...click to read more of this news article.

View Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program Historical Data

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 listing of nest locations will NOT be published in newspapers, on this website or on other social media. Please don't call the emergency number or contact the Project Coordinator to ask about nests. This is for the safety of the turtles!