Each summer the sandy beaches, gentle waves, and glowing sunshine along North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands’ 45 miles of coastline attract more than happy beachgoers. Our uncrowded and pristine beaches are also home to loggerhead sea turtles. These magnificent creatures travel great distances to arrive on our shores every nesting season, which begins in May and lasts through August. Hatchings begin a few weeks later in July and continue through October. While generations of visitors book their stays this time of year to witness this bit of maritime magic, the sea turtles have been coming for centuries, making summertime sea turtle time in the Brunswick Islands! Continue reading for ways to learn more about sea turtles during your vacation in NC’s Brunswick Islands.

baby sea turtles crawling in sand

Free Turtle Talks

Sea turtle protection organizations operate on each of the six Brunswick Islands’ beaches: Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Oak Island, Caswell Beach and Bald Head Island. Many of the local sea turtle protection organizations offer free weekly family-friendly seminars, designed to share important information about loggerhead sea turtle protection efforts. These “Turtle Talks” are held in Holden Beach, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach and Oak Island in the late spring through summer.

  • Holden Beach: Wednesdays (June 18th, 2025 - August 13th, 2025)
  • Sunset Beach: Traditionally held on Sundays: 2025 dates TBA
  • Ocean Isle Beach: Mondays (June 2nd, 2025 - August 25th, 2025)
  • Oak Island: Select days in June, July, and August: 2025 dates TBA
  • Caswell Beach: Select days in June, July, and August: 2025 dates TBA

Visit our calendar of events for more details, and make sure to check back here for 2025 dates as sea turtle season approaches!

If you see sea turtle protection program volunteers out on the beach, don’t be afraid to say hello! Passionate volunteers are happy to answer all your sea turtle-related questions, but please remember not to interfere with their work. Conservation work conducted by local sea turtle organizations is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

Exhibits at the Museum of Coastal Carolina

Turtle loving travelers can also venture to Ocean Isle Beach for the Barrier Island Gallery at the Museum of Coastal Carolina. Visit “The Legend of the Loggerhead” exhibit, which features a sand dune model complete with mother loggerhead turtle laying a nest and hatchlings emerging. Visitors can walk through the dune to check out interior views of the nest and watch a video about the lifecycle of Ocean Isle Beach’s loggerhead turtles. Home to one of the largest dry aquariums on the East Coast, the Museum of Coastal Carolina also gives guests an opportunity to see life-size loggerhead turtles and other native wildlife displayed.

a ramp of sand leading from a turtle nest to the ocean with a group of people standing near

Summer Sea Turtle Internships

The Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization offers several week-long summer internships for middle and high school travelers ages 13-18. During this interactive experience, interns and their parents assist in monitoring sea turtle nests, collecting and logging sea turtle activity and supporting visitor and resident awareness initiatives. Interested families can apply online. Note: Applications for the 2025 season are now closed. Next year’s applications will open in February 2026.

Visitor Tips for Sea Turtle Conservation

While sea turtle sightings are exciting, we all must do our part to support the loggerhead turtles’ journey and keep them returning to our beaches for the next 100 years. Check out our tips to creating a better beach environment for the sea turtles:

  1. Do not touch, disturb, or harm a sea turtle as it makes its way to or from the ocean. It is illegal to do so in the United States.
  2. Know how to spot a sea turtle nest and do not disturb. Nests will typically be numbered and marked by surrounding fencing.
  3. If you spot a sea turtle laying its nest, or spot any unmarked nests, contact the appropriate local sea turtle protection organization using its emergency number. Note: The numbers below are in case of emergency only! For general questions and information please visit each organization’s website.
  1. Avoid the use of flash photography in capturing a sea turtle sighting.
  2. Lights may confuse the sea turtles, so avoid shining lights at the turtles and turn off all lights near the beach, including outdoor lighting at night.
  3. Be a responsible beachgoer and pick up all litter, fill in any holes and remove your beach equipment at the end of each day.
  4. If you spot a sea turtle in distress, please call the appropriate local sea turtle protection organization immediately.

two baby sea turtle hatchlings in the sand

Sea Turtle Vocabulary

  • Boil: A term used to describe the sight of a sea turtle nest hatching. The large number of hatchlings racing to the surface makes the sand appear as if it is “boiling.”  
  • Clutch: Also known as a sea turtle nest. A clutch is a group of egg laid by a single turtle at one time.
  • Crawl: The visible path/tracks that a nesting sea turtle leaves on the beach. Each species of turtle has its own unique crawl!
  • Excavation: A process conducted by our legally authorized local sea turtle protection organizations several days after a turtle nest has hatched. Volunteers will count the number of empty eggshells, any unhatched eggs, and any remaining hatchlings to determine a nest’s hatching success rate.
  • False Crawl: When a female turtle crawls on the beach but does not lay her eggs.

For more information on where to stay and how to plan a terrific turtle experience in North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands, please visit www.ncbrunswick.com.