SEA TURTLE RELEASES & NESTING SEASON

We have 2 public release times , 6:45am and 7:45am,  all public releases will be in one of these 2 time slots

Since this is a natural process of a wild animal we are not able to predetermine when releases are.  Similar to a due date in a human pregnancy there is a range of time in which we can expect a nest to hatch but narrowing it to a specific date, time and hour is not possible.

Our nesting calendar can help provide estimates – the more nests we have hatching at one time, the more likely we are to have a public release during those days

If you are a member at Sea Turtle Inc not only does your membership support our mission but you get a text message directly to your phone announcing public releases.   You can become a member here 

If you are not a member you can review our Facebook page between 5am and 7am daily for announcements of public releases.

Members at Sea Turtle Inc. receive a custom text message the moment the decision to hold a public release is made.   You can become a member here

For non members:  A post will be made on our Facebook account on the morning of a release usually between 5am and 7am.  Releases will be held at two possible release times of 6:45 and 7:45 am.

Since this is a natural process of a wild animal we are not able to predetermine when releases are.  Similar to a due date in a human pregnancy there is a range of time in which we can expect a nest to hatch but narrowing it to a specific date, time and hour is not possible.  In the best interest of the hatchlings, we release as soon as nests hatch.  As sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act, the permit dictates when we can have public releases , and it essentially narrows that timeframe to at or before sunrise.  The unpredictable timing of nature means we cannot predetermine release days and times.

Cameron County Beach Access 4 – this is Cameron County , not South Padre Island City Access, so this is at the north end of the island, click here for map

Cameron county access 4 is a free access however parking can be limited so please arrive early

The nesting calendar is a tool we provide to help others estimate when a nest might hatch. It provides data that includes the date the nest was laid, the number of eggs, the estimated hatch window, based on incubation time of the species, then when that nest hatches it provides the actual date of hatch and number of eggs that hatched. This is a tool for those that adopted a nest to see how their nest is doing, and also provides a great guess as to when nests might hatch during the season. This is simply based on ranges and estimates and is only a tool

No. Sea turtles are state and federally protected. Only permitted individuals are allowed to handle sea turtles by law.

We typically start to see hatching between June and August

These are nests that were not found at the time they were laid, the date reflects the time of discovery.