First nest is here already, Hilton Head area sea turtle season begins
With temperatures rising and tourists returning, one of South Carolina’s favorite reptiles will soon have all four flippers in the sand. One dedicated sea turtle mama got a head start, laying the first nest of the year, days before the season officially starts.
On May 1, both seasoned and rookie sea turtle patrol volunteers will be dispatched to beaches across Beaufort County’s coast. All eyes are on the ground as they aim to find, tag and protect the beloved sea turtle nests over the six-month season. South Carolina sees four sea turtle species nest on its beaches; all four species are endangered or threatened.
While the season officially begins in May, on Tuesday, one loggerhead turtle laid the state’s first nest of the season on Folly Beach during the early morning hours. Beaufort County beaches are still waiting for their first nest.
“With warmer winter conditions and increased observations of loggerheads being reported in our waters, there was some expectation that nesting would begin soon,” Michelle Pate, the sea turtle coordinator for the state Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement.
Last year, sea turtles laid 4,818 nests in South Carolina. When nesting females arrive in the state’s waters, they emerge from the ocean to lay multiple nests over the course of the six-month season.
Hilton Head
The last two years brought fewer turtles to Hilton Head’s beaches than average, Amber Kuehn, a marine biologist and the director of Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head, said. After 27 years managing turtles on the island’s beaches, she’s never seen three consecutive lower-than-average seasons.
This year, Kuehn is concerned that the cold snap in January could have depleted the turtles’ food sources. But even if the numbers are lower this year, they’ll likely bounce back in 2026, she said.
There is an extra challenge for the Hilton Head volunteers, who will need to manage and protect the nests as equipment for the beach renourishment moves across the island’s beaches. While parts of the beach sand-pumping project will occur outside of the turtle’s nesting season, Kuehn and her team will need to move any nests laid north of Islanders Beach Park, according to Kuehn.
Pritchards Island
The University of South Carolina-Beaufort recently took over the sea turtle monitoring and conservation efforts on Pritchards Island. Abby and Robert Morris began organizing the island’s sea turtle conservation efforts in 2011 after the university stopped using the island.
As the university makes a return to research on the island, the program has once again been handed back to USCB, Kim Ritchie, director of research at Pritchards Island, said. There are 50 volunteers and 15 students who will be helping with monitoring and moving the nests.
It’s a difficult task, as there is no bridge to Pritchards Island, she said.
“It’s challenging out there, because you have to float there,” Ritchie said. “You have to get there by kayaks.”
The future of turtle nesting on the island is uncertain, as rapid erosion is quickly removing adequate nesting habitat for the turtles. Like last year, volunteers will need to move many of the nests to ensure the eggs stay dry and safe.
It was a little challenging to find a place to relocate the nests last year, but they managed, Ritchie said. Last year, there was also more beach to work with.
Hunting Island
Much like Prichards Island, Hunting Island also faces erosion issues that are limiting the size of available beach for turtle nesting. Beth Glass, the director of the island’s sea turtle conservation project, said that they started cutting off registration for volunteers who want to assist with the nest surveys. With the beach shrinking, there is only so much land they need to volunteers to cover.
To better manage the nests on an eroding beach, Glass said they keep an eye on the beach during the off-season to ascertain which areas are dry enough for a relocated turtle nest.
Last year, there was about 120 nests laid on the island, Glass said. In 2025, she predicts there will be a similar number of nests, though the DNR believes that it’ll be a busier year.
“We’re just praying that the storms stay off coast,” Glass said. “It seems like they’re coming quicker in the season and it affects more nests.”
Respect the turtles
Hilton Head hosts about 1.5 million visitors each year who are drawn to the island’s beaches and natural beauty. These beachgoers will need to share the beach with sea turtle nests. At the end of each day, a flat, dark and debris-free beach is needed for sea turtle moms and babies to make their journey across the sand.
Visitors should fill in any holes in the sand and remove all items from the beach. A city rule states that anyone living in or visiting an ocean-front home should also turn off outside lights and close their blinds to avoid confusing the turtles.
This story was updated to include information about Hunting Island’s sea turtle program
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM.
