VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A bale of baby sea turtles got turned around overnight Friday in Volusia County. Fortunately, some Volusia County deputies were able to stop and give them directions.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said about 75 sea turtle hatchlings were seen trying to crawl up a beach approach toward Atlantic Avenue. The deputies helped collect the babies, who were turned over to county officials and redirected to the Atlantic Ocean.
Now hopefully this bale of sea turtles will become a flotilla.
When sea turtles hatch from their nests, they crawl toward the brightest light, which needs to be the ocean. This is why Florida requires beach properties to turn off lights or use turtle-safe lighting, particularly during sea turtle nesting season, which is happening now through Oct. 31.
News 6 Community Correspondent Molly Reed reported last month that nesting season was smashing records in Volusia County.
[WATCH: Volusia County sea turtle nests surpass all-time record, conservation efforts credited]
According to the county’s Sea Turtle Nest Dashboard, 1,654 nests have been recorded so far this year. Nearly 700 of those nests have been found in the New Smyrna Beach area.
Volusia County is not the only place where sea turtle nesting is happening. Hundreds of nests can be found along Florida’s coast.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says people should leave sea turtles and their nests alone and not disturb hatchlings crawling to the ocean.
However, if you see hatchlings wandering away from the water, they need to be taken to a dark part of the beach so they can walk into the water on their own.
You should also call the local officials or wildlife officials.
In Volusia County, if you see a stranded sea turtle during the day, call Beach Safety at 386-239-6414.
During nights and weekends, call the sheriff’s office at 386-248-1777.
For any other turtle strandings, call FWC at 1-888-404-3922.