Isle of Palms, A Sea Turtle Nesting Ground

Isle of Palms, A Sea Turtle Nesting Ground 

For early morning Isle of Palms beach walkers, it is not unusual to find tracks of a loggerhead turtle or even behold hatchlings making their way to the Atlantic.  You are guaranteed to come across one of 170 volunteers of the Island Turtle Team that walk the beaches May to October ensuring that the nests are sufficiently sheltered to give the eggs a chance to hatch.  

During the nesting season, female turtles will often dig their nests at night, depositing their leathery, ping-pong ball shaped eggs in a two-foot-deep hole before returning to the ocean.  The hatchling turtles will emerge from the nest 45 to 65 days following the nesting.  It will take roughly three days for the young turtles to emerge from beneath the sand.  Then it is clumsy, although done in unison, trek to the ocean.  

In nature, there is a 1 in 10,000 chance for the hatchling turtle’s survival, but with the help of the Turtle Team and other Charleston Turtle support groups, these odds are 1 in 1,000.  Residents and visitors of the Isle of Palms also play an important role in the survival of young turtles.  First, sea turtles are guided by the moon. Therefore, it is critical that all artificial sources of light are eliminated.  Spectators of turtles on the beach should not shine flashlights or use their flashes when taking photos.  In addition, all oceanfront homes should turn off all outside flood lights from May to October.  Typically, oceanfront homes are required to feature exterior light fixtures that cast light to the ground and not out.  Older homes may not have these special lights and must keep off any fixture that may confuse sea turtles as to the direction of the ocean.  In addition, it is important not to dig and leave large holes in the sand or sandcastles close to turtle nests.  The turtle team will clearly mark nests.  A large hole or sandcastle could potentially block a turtle’s path to the ocean.  Residents and visitors should be aware of their surroundings and leave the beach at the end of the day free of artificial barriers in the sand.  

If a visitor or residents finds an injured turtle, they are urged to contact the Isle of Palms Police Department.  The South Carolina Aquarium has a modern, fully equipped center to care for sea turtles.  Once a turtle has healed from an illness, boating accident, or shark bite, they are released back into the ocean by the experts at the Aquarium.  It is not unusual for dozens of spectators to assemble on the beach to witness this march to the ocean of a released sea turtle.  

The sea turtle is the official State of South Carolina reptile and the symbol of the City of Isle of Palms.  The Team at Lowcountry Vacation Properties is proud to incorporate the sea turtle into our logo.  We are committed to playing our role in helping make the Carolina coast safer than ever for the sea turtle so that generations to come can marvel at their beauty and presence.