Vero Beach + Sea turtles

[RachaelA]

I have a 5 year old that is sea turtle obsessed. Google tells me April-October as a good time to go to VB, but is there a smaller window within that we should look into visiting VB in order to hopefully see some turtles?

Also I know VB dealt with Red Tide this year. Is there a time frame to potentially (obviously no guarantees) avoid that and see some turtles?

 

[bobbiwoz]

The turtles lay their eggs in spring and early summer, and they hatch in late summer. The eggs are primarily laid at night. My family did a night sea turtle walk with a conservation group and did see a female lay her eggs. A warning to anyone from me would be the mosquitoes are awful.....be prepared.

Vero Beach has turtle talks, and walks. When you go on a morning walk you may see a “turtle crawl” in the sand. That’s when a female went on shore and may have laid eggs in a nest or it may be a fake crawl, when for some reason she did not lay eggs. If there is a nest it will be marked as such by a volunteer.

It is not like you will see turtles. They only come ashore to lay eggs, you MAY see some in the water, but it’s not very likely IMO. I have seen one in the water around Vero, in maybe 10 summer stays there.

 

[DenLo]

Here is what the Vero Beach website says:

Sea Turtle Nesting Grounds
Our resort shares space with the nesting grounds of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. The Florida coast is their primary nesting area in the northern hemisphere. In keeping with founder Walt Disney’s conservation legacy, the beachfront resort was specifically designed to create minimal impact on the turtles’ nesting patterns. Each year, moonlight acts as a beacon to guide the hatchlings safely to the ocean, so the resort’s east-facing windows are tinted to diminish the impact of interior lighting, and no exterior lights face the ocean.

Last year they made a video of the adults leaving with guests watching them leave after being tagged with a tractor, but I can't find it. Here is an article talking about it. https://chipandco.com/tour-de-turtles-event-at-disneys-vero-beach-scheduled-for-july-311739/

 

[Frederic Civish]

Sea Turtles tend to come ashore to lay their eggs during high tide. They also tend to do it during ALL phases of the moon, but they usually prefer a dark beach with little human presence. If they see humans, they will often either stay in the water or turn around and go back into the water.

Hatchlings emerge from the nest at various times. Though a favorite time is often around the new moon. Digging out of the nest is a group effort, but then they will usually sit a little bit below the surface until it is dark. Once it is dark or sometimes when it rains, they will complete their self excavation and burst forth from the nest. Sometimes only some babies will come out on one night, and more will come out of the same nest on the next night. The reason they emerge during darkness or rain is because they don't like the heat of the summer sun, which kills them quickly, and there also tend to be less predators in darkness and rain.

Once the hatchlings emerge, they are attracted to whichever horizon seems the brightest to them. In the absence of people and artificial lighting, this brighter horizon is the sea, and they head for it. With artificial lights in the area, they often get lost and die. So the Vero Beach resort limits the lighting that faces the beach.

As soon as the hatchlings hit the water, they start a 'swim frenzy' where they swim continuously for 18 to 36 hours. This is so that they can reach very deep water, and disperse away from the beach and predators. After that, they drift around in the currents of the Atlantic Ocean, typically riding with clumps of seaweed, and they often settle in the Sargasso Sea for a couple of years, before they return to breed on the same beach where they were born.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Fewer than .1% of hatched turtles make it to maturity. HHI Resort had an excellent activity using ping pong balls and giving various scenarios as to what happened to the young ones. Very sobering.

 

[mazoo77]

I have a 5 year old that is sea turtle obsessed. Google tells me April-October as a good time to go to VB, but is there a smaller window within that we should look into visiting VB in order to hopefully see some turtles?

Also I know VB dealt with Red Tide this year. Is there a time frame to potentially (obviously no guarantees) avoid that and see some turtles?

Disney's Vero Beach is a great place to spend 3-4 days of relaxing. We did it annually for 4 years, 3 trips in mid June and 1 in mid July. BTW, off topic but get the OVIR-Ocean View Inn Room, you will be happy you did.

My oldest daughter was obsessed with turtles too, she is now 18. During the mid June trips we did the nightly Turtle walks on two occasions and both times saw turtles laying their eggs. One warning, it does leave later in the evening and we returned to the hotel just before midnight. We did the walk through the Sebastian Inlet State Park, about 10 minutes from DVB. Check their website for more information and they can probably help with your questions on Red Tide. It was a very good and educational program, those folks love what they do! Be sure to bring the mosquito spray if you decide to do the night walk. Disney also did a night walk at that time but it didn't work with our schedule.

Our mid July trip included the morning walk with Disney VB conservationist Claire, IMO best Disney employee of all time. We had a great experience and saw a nest of turtles hatch and run to the sea. This isn't a typical event but I'll tell you it can happen and it was an amazing experience, one of the highlights of any vacation ever.

Another option is the Loggerhead Marine Life Center, about an hour and a half south of DVB. Check their website too.

Have fun and keep the little guy engaged in nature!!

 

[cruiselovinbunch1]

Fewer than .1% of hatched turtles make it to maturity. HHI Resort had an excellent activity using ping pong balls and giving various scenarios as to what happened to the young ones. Very sobering.

I remember that activity -- our kids were 5 and 8 when we did it, and my younger one talks about it to this day. She's currently a sophomore in college majoring in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and wants to focus on sea turtle research in grad school. I will defend Disney to the end when I hear people refer to their parks and resorts as oversized playgrounds and money pits. There is so much more if you're willing to open your mind and participate.