Turtle Walk Enjoying Banner Year

Sea turtle nesting season is off to a prolific start, and the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is once again bringing the Boca Raton Community closer to one of nature's magnificent events.

Gumbo Limbo's Turtle Walk gives visitors a peek into – and at – sea turtle nesting habits by locating nesting turtles on Boca Raton beaches, then taking visitors to see the turtles complete their egg laying.

A Turtle Walk veteran, Rachel Davis estimates that she's been on more than a dozen treks.

A frequent scuba diver, Davis usually sees turtles in the water but makes time each year to view them on Boca Raton beaches during nesting season.

“They're so incredibly majestic,” said Davis while waiting to hit the beach for a June Turtle Walk. “They're a wonderful species. They're a very ancient species. I feel like when I'm in the presence of a sea turtle I'm in the presence of something much greater than myself.”

Gumbo Limbo hosts Turtle Walks on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through July 3. Visitors in eight of the first nine walks this season witnessed a nesting turtle. In total, nearly 500 turtles have already nested on Boca Raton beaches this year.

Turtle Walkers are asked reserve their spot ahead of time. Each Turtle Walk program begins at 8:45 p.m. and runs through midnight – or until a turtle finishes nesting, whichever comes first. Walkers initially gather in one of the Gumbo Limbo classrooms while a spotter traverses the local beachfront in search of loggerhead turtles coming ashore.

While waiting for a turtle sighting, a Gumbo Limbo staffer provides an educational presentation covering all things sea turtle – including the species of turtles native to the local area, their life cycles, the history of the Turtle Walk program, environmental issues faced by sea turtles, and what residents can do to improve the chances of sea turtle survival.

“We love the Nature Center and we like what they do with total conservation at Gumbo Limbo,” said Olivier Verdier while attending a mid-June Turtle Walk with wife, Laura, and daughter, Dina.

When a turtle is located, the spotter radios an alert to a staffer within the classroom. Turtle walkers are then led to the site of the nest by staffers with special lights that won't spook the turtle. The group can watch the nesting from a distance that won't disturb the turtle.

Visitors watch the turtle lay her eggs, cover the nest, then crawl back to the ocean.    

Turtle Walk tickets are $15 for residents of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, $20 for non-residents. It is recommended that attendees are at least 8 years old. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.