Memorable Night on the Beach

I’ve lived near the beach in NSB for a few years, and have been visiting for over a decade, but until last night had never experienced this natural spectacle that helps to make NSB such a special place.

All summer, I’ve made it my mission to witness at least one turtle hatching. And last night, I made my 20th nighttime trek out to the beach, feeling oddly confident that this would be the day. I actually brought along my camera for the first time.

The moon was a few days past full and brightly illuminated the beach and the unusually placid ocean on this calm night. With two others, we left around 11:00 and hiked North down the beach. We meandered through the staked off nests, peeking in to see if any of the nests were showing signs of a hatching.

After 15 minutes, we noticed two fresh sets of tiny tracks coming from a nesting site that had been active the prior night. Although we had just missed seeing the two baby turtles, it was cool seeing the evidence that they had safely made the full trek out to the water.

The bugs were out in full force, so we decided to turn around, content to have had at least an ancillary encounter with hatchlings.

We decided to revisit two nests near our house, taking a last peek to see if anything had changed since we first investigated. When we got to the first one, I noticed a clear indentation in the sand, and saw the protective fencing was exposed close by. While we watched, the sand clearly shifted. The hatchlings were about to emerge!

After a quick text to other family members, there were six of us waiting off to the side and watching intently. Unfortunately, there were also swarms of No-see-ums. Despite being lathered in bug repellant, we were constantly peppered with bites.

There was a bit of movement in the sand, but honestly, we were all doubting whether anything would happen this night. Before midnight, everyone else had thrown in the towel. I stayed because 15 minutes earlier the sand in the center of the small pit was roiling with activity below. I was nearly certain that the hatchling emergence would come soon.

I sat down about 6 feet to the side of the nest and checked occasionally with a quick shot from my flashlight. Not much progress, but there was definitely continued action beneath the surface as the sand churned near the surface. But I was losing faith as quickly as the insects sapped my blood supply.

Then, at 12:39 I noticed 2 baby turtles with their sandy bodies halfway emerged from their nest. Over the next 10 minutes, I watch in awe as they were joined by a dozen others. All of the hatchlings congregated together in the center of the pit; none straying more than a few inches. At 12:50, dozens more had joined their siblings. Finally, one brave hatchling broke away and headed towards the bright moonlight reflecting off of the calm sea.

Within seconds, they started towards the water en masse – about 75 hatchlings scurrying towards the water. It was a goose bump moment. Dusted in sand, they fanned out a bit and attacked the 50 feet of terrain separating them from their objective.

A few of the babies struggled to make it over tire tracks and footprints, but they all marched on. It was easy to imagine the problems they’d encounter dealing with holes left on the beach, so add this as another plea to fill in holes and knock down sand castles before leaving the beach every day.

I walked ahead to the water line, and thanks to the bright moon, a wide-open shutter and careful use of my flashlight, I was able to get a few pictures as they closed in on their goal. The first turtle hit the water line. As the water rinsed away the sand, the gray creature turned black, and began her journey towards the Sargasso Sea.

Less than 1% of sea turtles ever reach maturation. But this group – all 75 made it safely into the warm Atlantic. After 60 days under the sand, they had all traversed the beach and made it to the Atlantic in less than five minutes. The first step in a long journey. Hopefully, they will return to this exact spot in a decade or two to lay their first batches of eggs, and hopefully I’ll be there to witness it.

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NSB Guide