Sea Turtle Nesting 2014

Sea turtles are among the world’s most ancient creatures and one of Sanibel Island’s most treasured. The island’s subtropical climate makes it an ideal environment for nesting mother sea turtles. In fact, Sanibel Island has more sea turtle nests than anywhere else in Lee County. The marine turtles are so important to the island that Sanibel has ordinances to protect turtles, nests and hatchlings from being disturbed.

More than 100 island residents volunteer each nesting season from May 1st – October 31st  to help track and protect the nests of loggerhead and endangered green turtles as part of the Conservation Foundation’s Sea Turtle Research and Monitoring Program.

On-Site Nests

At Sundial Resort, these volunteers comb the shores in front of the resort each morning, looking for tracks left by nesting mothers crawling in-and-out of the Gulf. Each nest is staked out and tagged with yellow tape to prevent shifting sands and blowing winds from making the nests unidentifiable. Below is the resort’s most recently marked nest with Kevin, Sundial Resort’s Director of Activities. Currently, the resort has two nests on-site.

Current Nesting Report, as of 9/12/14

As of September 12, 2014, there are a total of 410 nests on Sanibel Island, 261 of which have already hatched. Although most are Loggerhead Turtle nests, there have been four documented Green Turtle nests this season. For the most updated 2014 Sea Turtle Nesting Stats, visit the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundations website.

Sea Turtle Nesting Facts

Want to know more about sea turtles? Check out these SCCF Facts:

• Mating season begins in March or April when the water is close to 80 degrees
• Male hatchlings never return to land and remain in the water their whole life
• Female loggerheads lay between 50-175 leathery, ping-pong ball sized eggs
• Eggs take two months to hatch
• Each nest produces between 75-150 hatchlings
• Hatchlings have a 1-in-1000 chance of survival

Experience this wildlife phenomenon at Sundial Resort. We encourage you to bring the kids for what is also a fantastic educational experience. Book your next island adventure online or call one of our expert vacation planners at  866-565-5093.