Sea Turtle Hatchling Releases

People gathered on the beach at dawn for a sea turtle hatchling release.

NPS Photo

Every year the National Park Service welcomes people from around the world to experience the wonders of our nation's national parks. At Padre Island National Seashore, many people patiently wait for return of sea turtle nesting season and the opportunity to watch a hatchling release.

Hatchling releases typically occur from mid-June through August. Most of the releases take place at 6:45 am on Malaquite Beach in front of the visitor center at Padre Island National Seashore on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas.

On average, 1,300 people attend each sea turtle hatchling release held in the park, with more often attending on the first, weekend or holiday releases. It usually takes the hatchlings 20-45 minutes to make their way across the beach and into the water, giving time for everyone to get a good view. Volunteers and park rangers may also bring hatchlings around for visitors to get a close-up look and take photos (no flash).

 

Scheduled Hatchling Releases

The 2023 Kemp’s ridley hatchling season has concluded. No sea turtle hatchling releases are currently scheduled. Check back on this page in June 2024 for future sea turtle hatchling releases.

 

Hatching dates can be hard to predict

Once eggs are laid, incubation of the eggs can take anywhere from 40 to 60 days depending on the species of sea turtles. When the hatching of a nest begins, it can take between 1 to 4 days before all the turtles are ready to be released.

Just like with human babies, each nest found is given an approximate “due date," but it really comes down to the turtles if they will be ready on time, early, or even a little late.

 

Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) hatchlings making their way across the beach.

NPS Photo

Know Before You Go

• Call the Hatchling Hotline at [phone] before you drive out to the seashore to make sure the release is happening. The hotline is a recorded message you can call anytime, day or night.
  • Hatchling releases may be cancelled if the turtles have not hatched on the expected date, due to bad weather (ex. pouring rain, lightning on the beach, high winds), extreme high tides, or flooding over roadways, etc.

• Park entrance fees are required to enter the park year-round. To save time, purchase your entrance pass online BEFORE coming to the park.
  • The $10 per vehicle one-day pass expires at midnight on the date of purchase. Do not purchase this pass the night before the hatchling release as it will be expired in the morning. Purchase your $10 per vehicle one-day pass the morning of the hatchling release only AFTER calling the Hatchling Hotline to verify the release is happening.
  • Annual and lifetime pass holders do not need to pay the park entrance fee, but must present their pass and ID at the entrance station.

• Hatchling releases take place on Malaquite Beach in front of the Malaquite Visitor Center. The visitor center is located 15-minutes south of the park entrance station. Once you arrive at the release site, you must park in a parking lot, walk across the visitor center deck (where the restrooms are located), down the ramp and out to the beach. Driving on Malaquite Beach to the hatchling release site is not permitted. If you have not been to the park before, take some time to look at a map of the park and look over driving directions.

• Come prepared for the conditions. Even though hatchling releases take place around sunrise, the high humidity, crowded conditions, and summer heat can still be intense. Please bring water with you on the beach (but leave food in your car). A hat, sunglasses, and sunblock are also recommended. You can even bring a beach chair if you want to as long as you sit outside the release perimeter.

• Please leave your pets at home. Trained service animals authorized under the ADA are allowed.

 

Help Protect the Sea Turtle Hatchlings

To help ensure the safety of the sea turtle hatchlings, adhere to the following guidelines: 

No white clothing. Hatchlings rely on the moon or sunlight shining on the water and white foam of the waves to help them find their way. White clothing or shoes can confuse them.  

No flashlights or flash photography. Flashlights and camera flashes emit intense light that can momentarily blind and disorient turtles and people.  

No food on the beach. Large gatherings of people attract gulls and people eating food will keep their attention on the beach. If a gull is near you, do not wave your arms to make it leave; waving will attract more gulls because they associate large gatherings of other birds with the availability of food.  

Plant your feet. As the hatchlings get close to the surf’s edge, waves can sweep in and quickly carry them into the crowd. If a wave comes in around you, please keep your feet planted in the sand and stand very still so you don’t step on a hatchling. Trained NPS staff or volunteers will find any hatchlings that get swept into the crowd.  

Look, but don’t touch. If NPS staff or volunteers come around to show you a hatchling, do not attempt to touch it. A newly hatched sea turtle can be easily injured.  

Stay behind the physical release barriers. Conditions in the authorized endangered species permit allow only qualified, specifically trained, permitted individuals in the release area with the hatchlings.

Stay out of the water. For the safety of the sea turtle hatchlings, do not enter the water in front of or near the release site. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to find out about the next hatchling release?

When hatchling releases are scheduled, they will be posted on this page, on the park's social media pages, and on the recorded Hatchling Hotline at [phone]. 

What time do hatchling released take place?

Hatchling releases typically take place at sunrise which is around 6:45 am during the summer months. 

Why can't you schedule the release earlier than the day before it happens? 

Hatching is a difficult process to predict.  It can take 1-4 days from the time a nest begins to hatch until the hatchlings are ready to be released. Once a nest begins to hatch, sea turtle biologists monitor the nest closely. As hatching progresses, biologists try to estimate when the hatchlings will be ready. If, by mid-day, it looks like hatchlings will be ready for release within the next 12-16 hours, a public release may be scheduled for the next morning. 

Why are releases sometimes cancelled at the last minute? 

Hatchling releases may be cancelled for a variety of reasons including: the hatchlings have not hatched on the expected date; hatchlings become active more quickly than expected and must be released during the middle of the night to ensure survival; bad weather (ex. pouring rain, lightning on the beach, high winds); extreme high tides; flooding over roadways, etc.

In the event of a cancellation, the Hatchling Hotline [phone] and social media posts will be updated as quickly as possible. It is always best to call the hotline or check the park social media pages before you drive to the park to ensure a hatchling release will occur.  

How soon after hatching are the sea turtles released?

Hatching is a slow process. It can take 1-4 days for the baby turtles to break through the eggshell, emerge from the egg, and be ready for release. Once they are fully emerged from the egg, hatchlings are released as soon as they are ready, usually within 24 hours. 

Why do you make the hatchlings crawl on the beach?

In nature when sea turtles hatch from their nests, the newly hatched turtles must crawl on the beach from the nest near the dune line to the water. Time spent crawling on the beach is an important part of the imprinting process. Imprinting is a complicated process by which the elements of the beach where sea turtles hatch (sand, water, air, and other factors) are "programmed" into the brains of the baby turtles. Many years later, female sea turtles that may have traveled thousands of miles away return to the beaches where they hatched to lay their eggs and sustain the population.

Letting them crawl on the beach also allows biologists to assess each hatchling to make sure it is completely ready to be released.  

Do you ever release sea turtles at other times of the year?

The NPS only releases sea turtle hatchlings during the summer months. During other times of the year, area non-profit organizations who operate under US Fish and Wildlife Service permits may release juvenile and adult sea turtles that have been rescued and rehabilitated. Sea turtle releases by these organizations do not take place in the national seashore.  

Can we touch the baby sea turtle hatchlings?

No. Only trained biologists and volunteers who are authorized by federal endangered species permits may handle the turtles.  

Can I take pictures or video?

Photos and video are allowed during the hatchling release as long as the camera’s flash and other light sources are turned off. Lights, including flash photography or video, disorient the hatchlings and can even reduce their chances of survival by causing them to wander and burn off their limited energy reserve. When you arrive at the release site, please make a point to ensure any flash or lights are turned off on all cell phones, cameras, and video equipment. 

I have mobility concerns; is there a way for me to see a release?

Yes, the park offers free loan of two beach wheelchairs and a walker on a first-come, first served basis (no reservations). These devices are specifically designed for use on the beach by individuals with mobility concerns. The wheelchairs cannot be self-propelled and require another person's assistance. An accessible ramp goes from the visitor center pavilion down to the beach where the public releases are held.  

Can I bring my pet with me to the hatchling release?

No. For the safety of the sea turtles, pets are not allowed near the hatchling release site.