Emerald Coast Turtle Watch

🎃Happy Halloween!!💀

🐢Remember that nest that hatched the other night?! Last night was our evaluation of that nest (Nest #09) and we had quite the audience! Holiday Surf & Racquet Club guests and staff were able to observe the evaluation and even a hatchling release!

There were a total of 96 eggs in the nest and 67 of them hatched (70% hatch success). We are very happy with this hatch since this nest was inundated during Hurricane Idalia. It just goes to show how tough our little sea turtles are! 💚

There was one hatchling still in the nest and it was safely released to it's new forever home, the Gulf of Mexico.

We want to thank the amazing staff and management at Holiday Surf & Racquet Club for allowing us to utilize their property and for educating their guests on how to keep our beaches clean and safe for our sea turtles!

🔺If you need a red turtle-friendly flashlight, you can get one for FREE at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Welcome Center on Okaloosa Island.

All of the nesting and evaluation work conducted by this group and in these photos is permitted through the FWC Marine Turtle Program under permit #23-033.