Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park makes every effort to make your visit a memorable one. So if you want to observe them, youll need a local guide, as it is forbidden to go on the beach after 6:00 pm. Leatherback sea turtles are the first to nest on our beachesduring the beginning of the sea turtle nesting season. Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, Maldives are made up of more than 1,000 coral islands, Diving and snorkeling in the Ari Atoll is unforgettable, Hawaii is a volcanic archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, one of the most famous dive destinations in the Red Sea, Sipadan is a very small island in Malaysia, Give the gift of diving with PADI eLearning, Join PADI at Duikvaker, 4-5 February 2023, 7 Things You Should Never Do Immediately After Diving, Scuba Certification: Everything You Need to Know. The beautiful emerald water and white sand beaches are home to a myriad of animals, including a variety of creatures such as several species of sea turtles, whom have just begun nesting. If you are taking a trip to the Florida Keys, I highly recommend a visit to The Turtle Hospital in Marathon. While not as large as leatherback, they can tip the scale atover300lbs and almost4ft. Talk about a rough childhood. If you happen to swim by it, you can get stung by it and get paralyzed just the same as if a live jellyfish had stung you. Their hawk like bill is the reason why they have the name they have, and they use it to eat mostly sponges. Nestled in the heart of Destin, your family will discover a world of motors, mini golf, bumper cars, and more. Dont chase them, touch them, ride them, harass them, or harm them. This center is home to a turtle rehabilitation facility, as well as an exhibit hall, an aquarium, nature trails, and a butterfly garden. As such, when you snorkel and swim with sea turtles, they will almost always be a female. Participants with special needs including mobility, seeing, or hearing impairments must contact Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park prior to reserving the encounter. Avoid excessive flash photography when photographing sea turtles. This includes permeant residents that are unable to return to the wild, often because of shell damage that results in the inability to dive. I was a kid when we did this, so obviously wasn't thinking about any . Hawksbill turtles are also frequent sightings within the park. Turtle numbers here are increasing year on year and the park is thriving with kaleidoscopic coral reefs, schooling fish, critters, and passing pelagics. These leviathans have reached a recordedmaximum length of 10ft and over 2000lbs. I took some underwater photos of the turtles and posted them on my flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/31486092@N05/15234183219/, https://www.flickr.com/photos/31486092@N05/15660816662/, https://www.flickr.com/photos/31486092@N05/15659997655/, https://www.flickr.com/photos/31486092@N05/15618963105/. Read on and learn more! It is pretty unlikely to ever see a whole nest of baby turtles hatching in Melbourne Beach, but you might get lucky! Some well-known places where you can see a lot of sea turtles while diving are Bunaken National Park, Lekuan, Fukui, and Muka Kampung. That is why you should wear extra protection, such as a full snorkeling wetsuit or rashguard. The wettest months are from November to February. One of the best places to visit in Florida for scuba diving is the USS Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot-long warship that sunk in 2002, creating an artificial reef with plenty of sea life, including . The conservation of our area wildlife is very important to us here along the Gulf Coast. You'll be provided all the snorkel gear needed to marvel at the beauty and graceful nature of these mystifying creatures. That is why we want to arm you with the knowledge to keep both you and our shelled friends safe on your next snorkeling trip. Marine Animal Park and Botanical Garden! At these sites, visitors can find turtles feeding on sponges and soft corals, lounging by the ledges, swimming by blissfully tolerant of nearby divers. Thats long enough to have seen the rise and demise of dinosaurs. With that said, seeing animals in the wild can be scary and there is always a level of risk involved. The turtles can therefore be spotted all year round. There is often a huge variety of species of sea turtles here including Kemps Ridley and Hawksbill Turtles. Receive email notifications on special trips and discounts. Cameras/phones are not allowed into animal enclosures or on docks as participants hands must be free to interact with the animals. Check out the, Guardians of the Night: Reducing Light Pollution on Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches, Things to do in Destin, Florida over Christmas Holidays, Top Tips for the Lazy River at Okaloosa Island. Sea Turtle Preservation Society Facebook page. We came away with so much knowledge and loved getting to see all the different types of turtles in their large pools. This is likely owing to the fact that the Sea Turtle Conservancy is located here. All this is done under a special marine sea turtle permitfrom the state of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (please read an important disclaimer at the bottom of this post). Every summer, we head out to the beach at night and find them crawling up the shores to lay eggs. This was at the Corridor Wreck Trek which is a reef ledge home to many sea creatures. What is the best month to see the sea turtles? Locally called Refugio De Vida Silvestre La Flor, this Nicaraguan wildlife refuge is one of the best places in the world to see thousands of female sea turtles coming to lay their eggs. They can still sting you and lead to paralysis, and wearing some extra protection can prevent this from happening. Sea turtles are animals that come ashore only for mating and laying eggs. Whether you seek a Gulf-focused marine park or zoo experience, there are great options for family fun. The eggs will hatch between May and December, and turtle enthusiasts may be interested to know that in late September there is a Beach Clean-Up Day that typically attracts thousands of volunteers and this is a great chance to see some baby turtles. Leatherback sea turtles are the first to nest on our beaches during the beginning of the sea turtle nesting season. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. By continuing, you agree to our Before booking an animal interaction, please visit our Animal Interaction Program Comparison and Policies page. Sea turtles have a life span of approximately 80 years. Keep the beach CLEAN Leave the beach as you found it or better! And while this seems like a good thing, it actually exposes the turtles to some health conditions such as cardiovascular issues or liver disease. Hatchlings (aka baby sea turtles) will emerge from sea turtle nests about 50-60 days after the sea turtle lays her eggs. This place is a sanctuary for marine life, inhabited by a wide variety of fish including parrotfish, pufferfish, groupers, leopard sharks, wobbegong and resident green sea turtles. I think knowing a little about our sea turtles is necessary in order to truly appreciate todays story. These miraculous animals can live up to 100 years old! In addition to Melbourne Beach, another Space Coast place to see sea turtles is the Canaveral National Seashore. These bright flashes can be distracting to hatchlings and mislead them. They are fun to watch come to shore and also swim down the coast! Worth the money to become a member and support the reefs. This is one of the most fun running races around and there is usually a turtle release at the end! See sea turtles in Florida every day. During this stage, baby turtles can be eaten by crabs, birds, dogs, foxes and other animals. Not only were 6% of total sea turtle nests in the state found in Sarasota and Siesta Key (the most of any gulf county), but you can also visit the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. Based on the study done by our residentscientist and diver, Dr. Larry Wood of The Comprehensive Florida Hawksbill Research and Conservation Program, most of the hawksbill sea turtles we encounter in West Palm Beach, Floridaare in their teens. Visitors should keep their distance, staying behind any turtle they might see, and must not shine lights in nesting areas, including flashlights, cellphone lights or camera lights. The largest green sea turtle ever recorded was 5ft. If are on that side, by far one of the best places to see sea turtles on the Florida gulf coast is Sarasota County. They are fun to watch come to shore and also swim down the coast! The bed of the sea is sandy and covered by a carpet of plants that attract the turtles. 29 were here. One of the largest of the eight species of sea turtles, the green turtle has been documented to grow to a maximum of about 4 feet and weigh 440 pounds. As much as you want to swim next to a sea turtle, you must keep your distance for not just your safety, but because you can get fined heavily. Perhaps the most dangerous time in a young turtles life is when it must make the dash from nest to sea. Theater of the Sea is home to many animals that have been rescued, rehabilitated, and deemed non-releasable for a variety of reasons. Youll be delighted by manta rays, schools of tropical fish, nudibranchs, starfish, dolphins and whale sharks. Fortunately, there are several groups of experts that have founded associations that work to protect sea turtles through research, education, training, and habitat protection. Walton would be more progressive about this kind of thing than Okaloosa. The one place I have not visited on this list is Dry Tortugas National Park because it is a bit of a challenge to get to. Guests must be age five (5) or older to participate in the Discover Turtles encounter. Stingray Bay Snorkel Immerse yourself in a bay of wonder as you snorkel with stingrays, bamboo sharks and a variety of tropical fish! So you may have to copy these links to a new web page and paste the link in there to view each one. Night time beach goers at this time of year are encouraged . Make sure to grab all of your beach gear when leaving, remove all of your trash and even maybe some leftover trash that was not yours. I love watching them swim around with other fish in the big tank, but if you are scuba certified you can swim with them too! Though it can be a little sad to hear about injured turtles, the staff here is so passionate and the research they are doing will help get sea turtles off the endangered species list and figure out the best way to treat them! In the event that an encounter must be rescheduled within 24 hours prior to the encounter start time, or after a missed encounter, a rebooking fee of 25% of the encounter purchase price will be applied. Back in the day (like 20 years ago), you could bring a bucket of bait fish with you when renting a boat to go to Shell Island. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. These leatherback sea turtle hatchlings would certainly die under the hot Florida sun if left to their own accord. That doesnt mean you should go ahead and touch them, but its a lot easier if you wanted to take a selfie with a sea turtle. When doing this, you must take great care to avoid disturbing the turtles. Loggerhead sea turtle nesting numbers fluctuate from one year to the next (some like to take a year off and enjoy a nice vacation in the Caribbean we like to think), but in 2012 almost 60,000 loggerhead sea turtle nests were counted in Florida! The reefs will be a great addition to beach recreational activities in So. The water is their home turf, and they can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour, so good luck trying to catch it. I have seen sea turtles in the wild many times and it never gets old! If you want to bring light to walk on the beach, make sure to use a red light. They are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 and theFloridas Marine Turtle Protection Act (379.2431, Florida Statutes). One way to help prevent the death of baby sea turtles is to take caution when visiting nesting beaches with pets. Furthermore, their shell has a sharp, serrated edge and their head is more pronounced and narrower. Many beachfront buildings use these to prevent the hatchlings from becoming disorientated when they hatch. Unless otherwise, noted, the encounter price does not include general admission. See this Facebook site for info and pictures: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Navarre-Beach-Marine-Sanctuary/100763266646739. You could then entice the dolphins over to you and hop in and swim with them. You'll not only learn about dolphin behavior but also the importance of protecting the dolphin's natural habitat. If it feels cornered, turtles can bite you. The other 13 are in the southern part, where around 8,000 females go to lay their eggs in a group of islands called Capricorn Bunker. You can find sea turtles nesting all along the east coast of Florida. With Siesta Key Beach, Turtle Beach, and Crescent Beach, there . When we were at Stinky's in Sept. we walked next door to the original building to buy a tee shirt. Next, you can find Hawksbills along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica from March to October. Participants under the age of eight (8) must be accompanied by a participating (paying) adult over the age of eighteen (18) in case assistance is required. 2023 Destin West Vacations All rights reserved. If you are going between May through August, you have an excellent chance of seeing them here. Its an educational and fun place for visitors of all ages. The Track Family Recreation Center features an overload of full-speed fun with five different Go-Kart Tracks, two mini golf courses, Blaster Boats, Bumper Cars, Kids Country Rides, and the high-flying SkyFlyer.