Beaufort County’s most beloved visitors are back. Fripp Island was the first stop

For those who walked Fripp Island’s beach Sunday morning and spotted distinct tracks running up the shore, they indicated another reason to celebrate beyond Cinco de Mayo.

The deep indentations in the sand were those of a loggerhead sea turtle mother. She’d made her way to a spot on the island’s south end, laid over 100 eggs and trudged back into the ocean.

Her nest on Fripp was the first in Beaufort County this season.

“I don’t even know the last time we were the first ones in Beaufort County to have the first nest,” said Karen Natoli, who’s been working with sea turtles on the island since 1999.

While the six-month season officially kicks off May 1, Natoli said May 5 is “very” early for a first nest on Fripp. Even earlier was the first nest in South Carolina this year, which was recorded in Garden City by the Garden City Surfside Sea Turtle Guardians group on April 29.

For a mother sea turtle to have nesting success, she needs certain conditions. Loud noises, artificial lights that shine onto the beach at night, people coming too close and left-behind beach furniture can contribute to a mother getting spooked and instead of nesting, she turns around and goes back into the ocean. It’s called a false crawl.

Natoli said a false crawl is typical for the season’s first sea turtle coming onto Fripp. But this season, the mamma “cut to the chase” and nested.

When conditions are right, the sea turtle will walk the shore at night, lay about 120 eggs per nest, cover it and head back to the ocean. Based on the sand’s temperature, the eggs will incubate between 45 and 60 days. The tiny hatchlings then take two-to-three days to wriggle from their shell and dig up to the surface.

For the palm-sized turtles that hatch on Beaufort County beaches and make it to the ocean, they have a three-day, 70-mile swim in front of them to reach the Gulf stream. About one in 100 will live to be 3 days old, according to previous reporting by The Island Packet. And only one in 1,000 will reach adulthood.

On Sunday, members of the Fripp Island Loggerhead Patrol relocated the nest to a safer spot, secured 99 eggs, counted six spacer eggs — infertile eggs released during nesting — and used one for genetic research.

Among information gleaned from the DNA research, it’s revealed that sea turtles have preferences when it comes to where they nest. While they’re not returning to the exact spot on the beach, some will continue to nest on the same beach or one nearby. Natoli said recently the group identified a “true Fripper” because any time the mamma sea turtle nested, it was on Fripp Island.

Last year, loggerhead sea turtles laid 118 nests on Fripp, according to an online nest monitoring system.

How to help protect sea turtles

• Remove large tents, chairs and personal property from the beach when leaving.

• Dismantle sandcastles and fill in holes before leaving the beach.

• Don’t touch a sea turtle on the beach.

• Follow boating laws, especially in small tidal creeks where sea turtles like to feed.

• Keep artificial lights off the beach at night during nesting season.

• Observe sea turtles from a distance.

• Keep beaches and the ocean clean.

• Plastic bags and balloons can cause injury or death when sea turtles mistake them for food.

Source: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources