Aug 18, 2022 - Things to Do

Watch sea turtle hatchings with these late-night beach patrols

Deirdra Funcheon

Two small, dark sea turtles crawl on sand. — Leatherback turtle hatchlings may be only 2 inches long, but adults can grow to 8 feet and weigh over 2,000 pounds. Photo: Mark Conlin/VW PICS/UIG via Getty Images

One of the most amazing things you can witness in South Florida — and this is saying a lot for a place where iguanas appear in toilet bowls — is baby sea turtles hatching from their shells and toddling down the sand to begin their lives in the ocean.

You, too, might be able to see this miracle by joining Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP) on one of their late-night beach patrols, Turtle Treks of Terramar.

The organization's trained and permitted volunteers invite people to come watch as they rescue turtles that "mistakenly scurry to the bright city lights," making sure they safely recover to the ocean's edge.

Details: Tour tickets cost $25 per person, and all of the money goes to the organization's turtle rescue efforts.

Worth noting: STOP can't guarantee that turtles will hatch during your walk, but in many cases, they do!

Hurry: It's peak hatch-out season now. The season runs through September.

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Watch sea turtle hatchings with these late-night beach patrols

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