Hello, Adventurers! Welcome back to the Coastal Expeditions blog! If this is your first time visiting our blog, we’re happy to have you here. We are all about nature, adventure, and making the most out of the beautiful outdoors of South Carolina. If you enjoy all things hiking, paddling, kayaking, and spending time outdoors, you’ve come to the right place! Here on the blog, we dive deep into different habitats, excursions, conservation efforts, and nature programs. Our site is filled with interactive maps, destination guides, and educational resources. Since the weather is getting warmer, we want to help you get out there and take advantage of all that the Lowcountry has to offer! We offer guided tours of the beautiful Lowcountry by kayak, paddleboard, ferry, boat, and private charter. We also have hands-on workshops taught by highly-trained guides on wilderness skills, birding, identifying native plants, sustainability, and camping. Basically, anything you want to learn about, we teach! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take a look around our site to learn more about our offerings. In our last post, we discussed Leave No Trace, a set of outdoor ethics designed to promote conservation. Today, we’ll be turning our attention to some of the stars of the season– Sea turtles! These truly fascinating creatures can be found in the Lowcountry’s waters and on beaches. If you are interested in learning more about these amazing animals, you’re in the right place. Let’s get started!

When we think of reptiles, snakes and lizards often come to mind. But did you know that sea turtles are reptiles, too? In fact, they are among the largest reptiles in the world. Sea turtles are also among the oldest creatures on Earth– Fossil evidence suggests that they shared the Earth with dinosaurs some 210 million years ago! Sometimes called marine turtles, sea turtles inhabit almost every ocean in the world. They spend the entirety of their lives in saltwater, except for when females come ashore to lay their eggs. There are seven species of sea turtles: The loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, green, leatherback, Australian flatback, hawksbill, and olive ridley. The species that are found in South Carolina’s waters are the loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, green, and leatherback sea turtles, with the loggerhead being the most common in our area. So common, in fact, that it was named the state’s official reptile in 1988. The loggerhead sea turtle can be seen in South Carolina’s waters in April through November, and nesting on beaches from May to October. 

Sea turtles have a hydrodynamic shape, which means they are able to easily maneuver through the water. They have a streamlined body plan, which allows them to swim more swiftly. One characteristic that sets them apart from their counterparts on land is that sea turtles have flippers rather than legs. These powerful flippers allow them to dive to great depths and swim for long distances. The front flippers are long and narrow, resembling a wing-like shape, while the back flippers are shorter. Also unlike turtles that live on land, sea turtles are unable to retract their head and limbs into their shells for protection. Sea turtles also have a carapace, which is the hard, upper shell. In all species except for the leatherback, the carapace is a bony shell composed of fused ribs, with the backbone attached to the carapace. The carapace is also covered in scales, or scutes that are firm but flexible. This shell provides protection from predators as well as abrasions. The bottom, or ventral, shell, is known as the plastron.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles

With loggerheads being the most common species in the Lowcountry, let’s take a closer look at them. Loggerheads are named for their large heads and powerful jaw muscles. Their strong jaws allow them to crush hard-shelled prey, such as crustaceans, clams, or sea urchins. The loggerhead’s carapace is oval-shaped with 5 central scutes and 5 lateral scutes. The carapace is generally a dark, reddish-brown color, while their flippers and plastron are light yellow. Adult loggerheads are massive– They can weigh up to 300 pounds and reach up to four feet in shell length! 

The reproductive season for loggerheads begins in early spring. 30 days after breeding, females make their way to sandy beaches at night– This is usually between May and August. Females tend to nest, on average, four times per season with two week intervals. They deposit an average of 120 eggs similar in appearance and size to a ping pong ball. The eggs are deposited in a cavity that is approximately 18 inches deep, which is dug with their hind flippers in the sand, just above the high tide line. The eggs will incubate for around 60 days, and during this time they are extremely vulnerable to predators. These predators may include racoons, coyotes, ghost crabs, and wild hogs. The temperature of the nest will determine the sex of the hatchlings. 

Once they break their way out of the eggs, hatchlings will emerge from the nest at night and crawl towards the ocean. One of the most fascinating parts of this is that the hatchlings use natural cues to guide them towards the water. These cues include the slope of the beach, the white crests of the waves, and celestial light reflecting off of the ocean. When the hatchlings have made it to the water, they will swim tirelessly for around 36 hours in order to escape predators. They will swim offshore in large clumps of brown seaweed, known as Sargassum. The seaweed acts as camouflage for the baby sea turtles as they feed on small invertebrates. Loggerhead sea turtles then spend the rest of their lives in the water, and can live to be decades old. In fact, they can live to be 70 to 80 years old, and sometimes more. 

Conservation Efforts

Sea turtles face many threats throughout their life cycle. Unfortunately, almost all species of sea turtles are classified as endangered, including the loggerhead. Some of the threats that sea turtles face are natural threats, such as the shark, which is the primary predator to juvenile and adult sea turtles. However, many threats are caused by humans. For example, climate change has had an impact on turtle nesting sites. Climate change alters sand temperatures, which affects the sex of the hatchlings. Additionally, sea turtles are often accidentally captured by commercial fisheries, resulting in death. As coastal areas continue to develop, sea turtle deaths due to collisions with boats and propellers are becoming increasingly common. Artificial lighting can also be an issue, particularly for hatchlings. Since hatchlings use natural light reflecting off of the waves to guide them to the water, artificial light can sometimes disorient them and cause them to wander away from the ocean. 

In order to combat threats to sea turtles, all four species found in South Carolina are protected by state and federal law by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Additionally, many organizations work towards protecting sea turtles. Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is known as the most significant nesting site north of Florida on the Eastern seaboard. A legion of volunteers and trained biologists protect and categorize every nest. Their work takes place every day throughout the summer on remote barrier islands, where they categorize eggs, cage them and move them to higher ground to protect them from predators. 

Cape Romain is on track to have over 3,000 nests this year! This is anticipated to be one of the biggest years on record. Starting in July, Coastal Expeditions will be hosting Beach Drop for Sea Turtles events, departing from Garris Landing and arriving at our destination of Bulls Island. We will explore a beach where loggerhead sea turtles nest and share information about Cape Romain and some of the endangered and threatened wildlife species it protects. This beach drop acts as a fundraiser to help volunteers continue their conservation efforts. You can view our July 2022 tours and trips here.

Sea turtles are beautiful and fascinating marine animals. Living in the Lowcountry, we are so lucky that loggerheads call our coastal waters and sandy beaches home! We would like to take this time to remind you that if you happen to spot a sea turtle, please be respectful and keep your distance. We hope that you found this article informative and helpful. As always, we thank you for reading and we hope to see you back on our blog soon! If you have any questions about our guided tours, reach out to us! At Coastal Expeditions, we are committed to introducing people to the wonders of the ecosystems of the Charleston area by providing guided tours and educational opportunities. If you’re looking to explore all that the Lowcountry has to offer, check out our offerings on our website to find the adventure which suits you best! We also offer kid-friendly tours as well as kids programs, camps, and kayak lessons. Our tours are led by knowledgeable, approachable naturalists and sea captains who are eager to answer your questions! Until next time, readers. Get out there and explore! Adventure awaits!