Sea turtle nesting season in Pompano Beach

When the season runs

In Broward County, sea turtle nesting season runs from March 1 through October 31. The City of Pompano Beach uses the same dates. During those months, female turtles crawl up the beach at night to lay eggs in the sand, and about two months later the hatchlings dig out and head for the water, usually after dark.

The Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, run by Nova Southeastern University with county funding, surveys the county’s beaches every morning during the season, about 24 miles of coastline. If you see a stake and tape marking off a patch of sand, that is a nest they have recorded. Give it space and leave the markers alone.

Which turtles nest here

Three species nest on Broward’s beaches.

• Loggerheads are the most common. They nest from about April through early September, with a peak in June and July.
• Green turtles are second. They nest from about May through early September.
• Leatherbacks, the largest, are the least common. They nest earliest, from March through June.

Nest counts vary a lot from year to year. The conservation program publishes its numbers each season, and they are worth a look if you are curious how this year is going.

Season dates and guidance come from the City of Pompano Beach, FWC and the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program. Rules can be updated, so check their pages before your trip.

The beach rules, in plain terms

Sea turtles are protected by state and federal law, and it is illegal to harm or disturb them, their nests or their eggs. Most of what that means for a visitor is simple:

• Keep the beach dark at night. No flashlights, phone lights or flash photography on the sand after dark.
• Fill in any holes you dig before you leave. Holes trap hatchlings and can hurt people, too.
• Take your chairs, umbrellas and toys off the beach at night. They block turtles and hatchlings.
• Knock down sandcastles before you go.
• Never touch, pick up or ride a turtle, and never help hatchlings to the water. Let them crawl on their own.
• Stay back. FWC notes that getting within 50 feet or so of a nesting turtle can make her leave before she lays her eggs.

If you borrow our beach chairs, carry them back with you at the end of the day. During nesting season, that small habit does double duty.

Why light matters so much

Hatchlings find the ocean by moving toward the brightest horizon, which on a natural beach is the moonlight over the water. Bright lights from buildings, phones and cameras pull them the wrong way, toward roads and parking lots. That is why the city reminds residents along the shore to keep fixtures low, shielded and long-wavelength, such as amber LEDs, and to close curtains after dark.

As a guest, the rule is easy: let your eyes adjust and walk by starlight. If you need light to find your way off the beach, use a red or amber light pointed at the ground and switch it off once you are on the path.

If you see a turtle

Stay well back, stay quiet, keep your lights off, and let her be. Do not crowd around or block her path back to the water. If you find a turtle that is injured, stranded or dead, hatchlings heading away from the ocean, or someone disturbing a nest, call the FWC Wildlife Alert line at 1-888-404-3922 (888-404-FWCC), or *FWC from a cell phone.

Seeing turtles responsibly

Your best chance of seeing turtle activity is simply being on the beach early. The overnight crawl tracks, a wide pattern in the sand leading from the water to the dunes, are often still visible at sunrise before the survey team and the wind smooth them over. It is one more reason to get up for sunrise at Pompano Beach.

FWC lists permitted public sea turtle watches around the state during the nesting season. They are led by trained staff and are the right way to see a nesting turtle. Check FWC’s sea turtle viewing page for current programs and booking, since they fill quickly and schedules change each year.

None of this means the beach is off limits. Daytime beach days carry on as normal all season. The difference is mostly after dark and first thing in the morning: lights off, holes filled, chairs and toys carried home.

Planning a summer stay

Nesting season overlaps with summer vacation, so many families visiting in June and July are here at peak loggerhead season. It is a good thing to talk about with kids before the trip: what the stakes mean, why the beach stays dark, why we fill in holes. Our family activities guide has more ideas for summer days, and snorkeling is a good way to look for turtles in the water, from a respectful distance.

Families tend to choose our suites, which sleep 4 to 5. For the rest of what Pompano offers, start at things to do.