The first sea turtle nest of the season hatched recently in Destin-Fort Walton Beach, marking a successful start to the nesting season for the area’s endangered marine species.

• Jessica Valek, Coastal Resources Coordinator for Okaloosa County and permit holder of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Sea Turtle Patrol Team, recalled seeing approximately 30 Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchlings emerge from the nest around sunrise this past week.

“When we arrived at the nest, we were looking around and saw some people near the water’s edge filming something,” Valek said. “I saw a bunch of little black things on the ground and realized that we had hatchlings on the beach!”

The nest, which was laid by a rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in late April, was the first of the season to be laid and the first to hatch. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the most endangered sea turtle species and do not typically nest on Destin-Fort Walton Beach shores.

Valek and her trained team monitored the nest daily throughout the incubation period. Upon evaluation 72 hours after hatching, they determined the nest contained 77 eggs, with 73 successfully hatching — a 95% hatch success rate.

• “Every hatchling we saw, all of their tracks went straight to the water. None of them went the wrong way and we didn’t have any disorientations,” Valek noted.

The successful hatching comes as welcome news for the Sea Turtle Patrol Team, especially considering recent high storm surges that affected some nests earlier in the season.

“There were several days where the water was really high and a few of our nests did get washed over, which is not detrimental to the nest.” Valek explained. “A nest can still hatch after some wash over. But to already have a hatched nest before peak hurricane season is definitely exciting.”

As of July 11, the team has documented 15 nests this season, surpassing last year’s total of 12 nests. Three of this year’s nests are from Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, which Valek describes as “really exciting” given the species’ rarity.

The DFWB Sea Turtle Patrol reminds the public to maintain clean, flat, and dark beaches to support sea turtle conservation. If you encounter a nesting sea turtle, please call the Sea Turtle Hotline at 850-461-2885 or the FWC Wildlife Hotline at 888-404-3922. Red turtle-friendly flashlights are available at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Welcome Center on Okaloosa Island.

• The public is encouraged to follow the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Sea Turtle Patrol on Facebook for updates and information about public nest evaluations, which will be conducted 72 hours after nests hatch.

All survey, nest marking, and monitoring activities are conducted under Marine Turtle Permit #251.