Save a Sea Turtle: Fill in Holes on Beach

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Sea Turtle Report 04-24-25

From May 1st to October 31st, female loggerhead sea turtles are heading to their favorite nesting spots on the sandy beaches of Marco Island, looking for that soft sand to deposit their eggs. So, any evening now, we will have female loggerheads coming ashore to do what they’ve done for the last 100 million years! And yes, in Florida we all share our beaches as a nesting habitat for the loggerhead sea turtle.

Nesting loggerheads face many manmade threats and lately, reports of large and deep holes or pits have been observed on our beach from South Beach to Sand Dollar Island. These holes pose a risk to nesting sea turtles as well as hatchlings. So, while we all enjoy a day at the beach building sandcastles and digging holes, let’s all make sure to fill in these holes and knock down the sandcastles when it is time to leave the beach.

With their heavy shells and paddle-like flippers, nesting loggerheads haul themselves very slowly across a sandy beach looking for a suitable nesting site. And according to experts, nesting sea turtles have been known to accidentally plunge into these deep pits, causing irreparable harm. 

For the safety of nesting sea turtles, filling in holes and knocking down sandcastles is vital for sea turtles’ survival. Only 1 in 1,000 baby sea turtles make it to adulthood.