Click the link below to shop and donate online or find the instructions if you prefer to mail us a check.
And we still have some 2025 shirts available at discount prices. These are only available through our online store or mail order. The Lighthouse does not have any 2025 shirts. shop, donate and adopt a nest here
Found a mother turtle laying a nest? A stranded or injured sea turtle and/or unattended hatchlings?
Call the HBTWP Stranding Team:
910-754-0766 | 24/7/365
Nesting turtles are frightened by lights and won't lay their eggs on a brightly lighted beach. Hatchlings will go to the lights rather than the ocean! Please help us preserve our marine life by keeping beachfront lighting off from May 1st until October 31st. learn more turtle facts
As recommended by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, it is the policy of the HBTWP to NOT disclose the locations or potential hatch dates of active turtle nests on our beach.
A list of nest locations will NOT be published in newspapers, on this website or on other social media. Please do NOT call the emergency number or contact the Project Coordinator to ask about nests. This is for the safety of the turtles! learn more about turtle nesting
Current Nest Count |
False Crawls |
75 |
46 |
Total Known Eggs |
Hatchlings to Ocean |
7421 |
4941 |
posted: August 24, 2026, 1:04 PM
It's been two weeks since we've sited a momma turtle on Holden Beach. This means we’ve officially reached the end of the nesting season, but what a season it’s been. Seventy‑five nests in total! And we saved the most special nest adoption for last. Nest #75 is proudly dedicated to Maggie Seekamp, honoring her 25 years of service to the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol. Maggie’s first season on turtle patrol was in 2002. She has been our morning caller since 2011, and she transformed our patrol by digitizing processes that once lived entirely on paper. She keeps track of every
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posted: July 29, 2026, 4:08 PM
Check out this link to a WECT broadcast of our HBTP team members. Bill Murray came out and interviewed Deva, Steve, Beth and Donna. Bill questioned the team on how the turtles and the turtle patrol have been affected by the extreme heat we've been having. Long term it may result in more female turtles because the sex of the hatchlings is determined by the heat in the nest--- the hotter the nest the more females. Remember "hot chicks" and "cool dudes." Thanks to Bill and the WECT News team for sharing information about the work we do with sea
See the WECT Article and Video
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posted: July 20, 2026, 11:23 AM
Nest 1, our first nest of this season, was laid on May 21 and contained 121 eggs. Nest 1 boiled on July 16, and 60 hatchlings scampered on down to the water late that night. The nest was inventoried and closed last night, after another 10 hatchlings walked to the water. While some scampered out when we weren’t around, a total of 95 hatchlings entered the water for Nest 1. Our Turtle Patrol is doing double duty right now. We are still finding new turtle nests in the morning, and our early nests are hatching. As of today, we have
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posted: July 17, 2026, 3:52 PM
This is our busiest time of the year. Momma turtles are still nesting and the first babies of the season have hatched. Last night about 10 p.m. the nest team and a group of visitors saw 60 hatchlings leave nest #1 and scamper to the ocean. On another part of the beach visitors saw a momma turtle laying eggs. This is nest #66. If you're counting....nest #1 hatched 56 days after the momma laid it. It's been a hot summer---so those eggs incubate quick. We expect to see other nests hatching soon. Expect to see HBTP members on the beach
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