BY ZOEY RITCHIE

On Sunday, March 9, beachgoers were pleasantly surprised when a leatherback sea turtle appeared on the shore in the early morning to lay her eggs. The previous earliest record was set on March 29, 2023, making this year’s nest the earliest sea turtle nest Volusia County beaches have ever seen. 

While the sighting was surprising, it is not a cause for alarm. Although seeing the turtle may not have been expected, it is dependent on the weather.

“Typically, they don’t come this early, but a lot of that just has to do with environmental factors like the water temperature and things like that.” Volusia County’s Sea Turtle Habitat Conservation Department Program Field Manager Nicole Weiss told The Beacon. “They’re already here in southern Florida, and then Brevard County, which is obviously just south of us; they got their first nest about a week before we did so we were kind of anticipating we might get a nest a little bit earlier than normal, but it was still a little bit of a surprise.”

Her appearance in the daytime is also not a shock, with the famous turtle speed coming into play for the leatherback.

“It’s not a quick process by any means,” Weiss said. “So she probably came up when it was dark, and then just the sun was rising as she was finishing up.”

While Volusia is not always the most popular place in Florida for the testudines to nest, that has been changing in recent years, with more and more turtles making their way to the local beaches. On average, over 580 nests are laid in Volusia County each season, with last year’s count exceeding the average, totaling 902 nests,

“We have seen increases in the last several years,” Weiss explained. “We would see about, maybe, an average of 500 to 700, and we’ve been seeing over 1,000 for a couple of years now. So that’s been pretty exciting, with a lot of turtles.”

From the turtles coming in, there are three main types that like to call the Volusia County beaches home.

“The loggerhead is the most common, the green sea turtle is the second most common, and then the leatherback is the third,” Weiss said. 

The early sighting of the leatherback turtle is a special treat for the community. 

As for the crowds heading to the beach, Weiss reminds beachgoers to maintain a safe environment for both the turtles and the curious crowds coming in for the spring break season.

“We really just encourage people to kind of let the sea turtles do their thing. Obviously, it’s OK to look if you happen to see one like that is awesome. It’s a really rare occasion for somebody to get to witness a sea turtle nesting or a nest hatching, but we want you to be respectful of them,” Weiss said. “Let them do their thing. Keep your distance.”

Weiss highlighted the importance of leaving the beach the way you find it, asking that when you wrap up your beach day, you restore the beach to a clean, clear surface for the turtles. 

“The biggest thing is just keeping the beach clean, dark, and flat for them. So, at the end of your beach day, take all of your trash and other belongings with you, fill in any holes that you dig, and knock down your sandcastles,” Weiss said.

And when heading back into your house or hotel: “Reduce the amount of white light that you’re using in your condo or hotel room, close your blinds. And then, if you are one of the folks that likes to walk on the beach at night, if you can use a red light, that is the best option.”

With nesting season officially beginning May 1, Weiss and the rest of the Sea Turtle Habitat Conservation Department are hoping for a safe, productive season for the turtles.

“We’re hoping that it will be a really successful season for them. We’re hoping to see a lot of nests,” Weiss said.