Photo: Jean-Lou Justine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Topsail Island is one of the most active sea turtle nesting beaches in North Carolina, and the sand behind our homes is patrolled every morning in season by volunteers from the Topsail Turtle Project. Most guests never notice. The ones who do, never forget it.
The season
Loggerhead females come ashore at night from roughly May through August to dig a nest above the high tide line and lay around 100 eggs. About two months later, the hatchlings emerge, usually at night, and scramble toward the brightest horizon, which on a natural beach is the ocean. That is why the rules below matter: a porch light can send a hundred hatchlings the wrong way.
What we ask of every guest
- Lights out toward the beach after 9 PM from May 1 through October 31. Our deck lights are on switches and our windows have shades; close them at night.
- No white flashlights on the beach at night. Red light apps and red filters are fine. Never shine a light on a turtle.
- Fill in holes and flatten sandcastles at the end of each day. A nesting female or a hatchling can get trapped in a moat.
- Take everything off the beach at night: chairs, tents, and toys are obstacles to a turtle that weighs 250 pounds and cannot back up.
- Stay behind the stakes. Marked nests have signs and string. Give them room, and never dig near one.
If you see a turtle or a nest
Keep your distance and stay quiet. If you see a nesting female, stay behind her and out of her line of sight; she will return to the ocean when she is finished. If you find a hatchling in trouble during the day, or a sick or injured turtle, call the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City, which works with the volunteer patrol. Our welcome text includes the number to call.
See them up close
The turtle hospital in Surf City is open for tours in season and is the best rainy hour on the island. In late summer, the volunteers sometimes hold public nest excavations a few days after a hatch, where you can see how many made it out. Ask at the hospital or watch their social pages for dates.
Guests who follow the rules above are the reason this beach keeps producing turtles. Thank you for being one of them.
Quick answers
When do sea turtles nest on Topsail Island?
Loggerheads nest from about May through August, and nests hatch roughly 55 to 70 days later, so hatchlings can emerge from July into October.
What is the lights out rule at North Topsail Beach?
From May through October, lights that shine toward the beach should be off or shielded after 9 PM so hatchlings head to the ocean instead of toward houses.
Can we watch a sea turtle nest hatch?
Sometimes. Volunteers with the Topsail Turtle Project occasionally host public nest excavations a few days after a hatch. Check with the Karen Beasley center for dates.
Stay on the beach the turtles come home to
Every one of our homes sits directly on nesting beach. Follow the lights out rule and you may see the morning tracks from your deck.