Every summer, loggerhead sea turtles crawl out of the Atlantic onto the same beaches where Charleston families build sandcastles. This page is my field guide to the season: who protects the nests, what the rules are, and how you can actually experience it without getting in the way.
South Carolina’s nesting season runs May 1 through October 31. Loggerheads, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, account for nearly all nests on our coast. In 2025 the state recorded roughly 3,900 nests; totals swing year to year, with a record 8,775 in 2019. More than 1,500 trained volunteers and biologists patrol beaches statewide each morning, marking nests, screening them from predators, and documenting every crawl.
The work is coordinated by the SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program, which has run since the late 1970s. If you see a sick, injured, stranded, or dead sea turtle, or witness someone disturbing a nest, call the 24-hour hotline:
SCDNR 24-hour hotline: 1-800-922-5431
That number works anywhere on the South Carolina coast.
Not Charleston Pulse. If you landed here looking for development alerts, that is a different tool entirely. Charleston Pulse tracks permits and neighborhood change. This page is about the loggerheads that arrive on our beaches every summer.
Beaches where turtles nest near Charleston
From Folly to Cape Romain, each stretch of sand has its own patrol team operating under SCDNR permits. The map below pulls live year-to-date nest counts from the SCDNR Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System for beaches in the Charleston metro and Cape Romain corridor.
Counts are preliminary statewide patrol data, not exact nest GPS pins. Never approach orange nest markers or screened nests on the beach. Source: seaturtle.org · SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program.
Local patrol groups
These are the volunteer organizations I point people to when they ask who is actually on the beach at sunrise. I am not affiliated with any of them. Contact details and volunteer openings change seasonally, so verify on their sites.
Island Turtle Team · Isle of Palms & Sullivan’s Island
If you are on Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island, the Island Turtle Team is the patrol you need to know. The City of Isle of Palms recognizes the team as the island’s sea turtle conservation group, monitoring nests, safeguarding eggs, and educating residents and visitors. They have walked these beaches for more than 25 years, and their volunteers are out at sunrise from May through August looking for loggerhead crawl tracks.
The two islands together typically see 30 to 60 nests per season. When volunteers find tracks, a DNR-certified team member meets them on the beach, confirms whether a nest was laid, and marks it with a bright orange sign. Nests in danger of washing over get relocated. Injured turtles go to the South Carolina Aquarium for rehab; strandings get reported to SCDNR.
Their Lights Out for Sea Turtles campaign is not optional on these islands. Local ordinances forbid lights visible from the beach at night. Nesting females avoid lit beaches, and hatchlings mistake porch lights and headlights for moonlight on the water. If you are buying oceanfront here, plan on motion-sensor fixtures, closed blinds after dark, and no landscape lighting aimed at the sand.
2026 volunteer note: All Island Turtle Team volunteer positions are filled for the 2026 season. They historically maintain a waiting list, so email early if you want to walk a section next year. Visitors cannot join patrols, but you can still help by keeping lights off and calling in unmarked tracks.
Report tracks, nests, or hatchlings: Island Turtle Team at (843) 885-4148 or islandturtleteam1@gmail.com. Strandings and injured turtles: SCDNR at 1-800-922-5431. Isle of Palms Police: (843) 886-6522. Sullivan’s Island Police: (843) 743-7200.
Experiences worth booking
Most patrol teams need trained, season-long volunteers, not day-trippers. If you are visiting Charleston or want to support the work without walking a mile of beach at 5:30 a.m., these are the programs I actually recommend. Book early; they fill up.
Edisto Beach State Park
South of the Charleston metro, Edisto Beach State Park is one of four oceanfront state parks in South Carolina and a nesting beach in its own right. The park’s Environmental Learning Center hosts sea-life exhibits and the programs desk where night walks are booked. Day visitors can hike 4 miles of ADA-accessible trails through maritime forest; loggerheads nest on the park’s 1.5 miles of shell-laden beach each summer. Park office: (843) 869-2156. 8377 State Cabin Road, Edisto Island.
Beach Drop for Sea Turtles A guided boat trip to the wild south end of Bulls Island in Cape Romain, where nearly half of South Carolina’s turtles nest. Naturalists demonstrate how the patrol inventories and protects clutches; kids can participate in a demonstration nest. Proceeds support the refuge nest protection program. About 3 hours; $75 adults, $35 ages 12 and under. Departs from Garris Landing in Awendaw. Sea Turtle Night Walks One of the few programs in South Carolina permitted to lead educational nesting walks after dark. A 30-minute presentation at the Environmental Learning Center, then a guided beach walk for a chance to witness a nesting turtle. Ages 11 and up only; walks can run past midnight and up to 3 miles. $40 per person; advance registration required. No photography allowed. Park programs and hours are on the Edisto Beach State Park site linked above. Sea Turtle Guardian The Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center rescues and rehabilitates dozens of sick and injured turtles every year. Becoming a Guardian ($10/month or $100/year) funds hospital operations, behind-the-scenes updates, and exclusive events. You can visit recovering patients downtown without waiting for nesting season.Beach rules that actually matter
Whether you own a beachfront condo on Isle of Palms, rent a cottage on Folly, or are house-hunting on Kiawah, these rules are the same statewide:
- Turn off beachfront lights at night. White light disorients nesting mothers and hatchlings heading for the surf. Close blinds, use amber or red bulbs on ocean-facing fixtures, and skip flashlights on the beach after dark.
- Fill in holes and knock down sand castles before you leave. Hatchlings can fall into deep holes and tire out before reaching the water.
- Give turtles space. Stay behind any marked nest, never touch a turtle or hatchling, and keep noise low. Disturbing a nest is a federal offense.
- Report tracks, not turtles. If you see fresh crawl tracks without an X drawn through them, call the local patrol or SCDNR. An X means volunteers already logged it.
- Keep dogs leashed and away from marked nests. Coyote predation has become a real problem on some beaches, including Folly.
Why a REALTOR puts this on her site
Two reasons. First, I genuinely love this coastline, and the turtles are part of what makes it singular. Second, if you are buying on a barrier island, you are buying into these rules whether you knew it or not. Beachfront lighting ordinances, HOA restrictions on exterior fixtures, and seasonal quiet hours show up in disclosures and neighbor disputes more often than people expect.
When I walk a buyer through a home with Atlantic-facing windows, I want them to understand that those windows come with responsibilities from May through October. It is the same instinct behind my page on land conservation: know what you are buying into before you close.
Support the work
- Book a Bulls Island beach drop through Coastal Expeditions. Ticket sales fund Cape Romain’s nest protection program.
- Visit Edisto Beach State Park for the Environmental Learning Center, trails, and programs calendar, then register for night walks when slots open.
- Become a Sea Turtle Guardian at the South Carolina Aquarium. Supports rescue and rehab year-round.
- Contact Island Turtle Team to report tracks on Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island, or get on the volunteer waiting list for a future season. The City of Isle of Palms also links to the team from its environmental programs page.
- Contact Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol if you live on or near Seabrook and want to volunteer for the next season.
- Email seaturtles@dnr.sc.gov to join the SC C-Turtle list serve for statewide nesting news and updates.
Questions I get about this
When is nesting season in Charleston?
Officially May 1 through October 31 statewide. Nests sometimes appear in late April, and hatchlings can still be emerging into November. Patrols typically ramp up before the official start if early crawls are spotted.
Can I watch a turtle lay eggs?
Only through permitted programs like Edisto Beach State Park’s night walks, or by sheer luck from a respectful distance if you happen to be on the beach after dark. Do not approach a nesting turtle on your own, shine lights on her, or take photos with flash. Book the state park walk if this is on your bucket list.
What if I see tracks on Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island?
Call the Island Turtle Team at (843) 885-4148. If someone has already drawn a large X through the tracks, volunteers logged it. If you are unsure, call anyway. Do not dig into the sand or move eggs.
Are you affiliated with any turtle patrol?
No. I am not paid by, endorsed by, or volunteering with any organization on this page. I am a REALTOR who admires the work and wants buyers, visitors, and neighbors to know the names, numbers, and rules. Verify schedules, prices, and availability directly with each organization.
The turtles were here first. If you are lucky enough to live on or visit these beaches, the small courtesy of a dark window at night is a fair price for sharing the shore.
Jennifer Dane is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by SCDNR, any local turtle patrol, Coastal Expeditions, South Carolina State Parks, or the South Carolina Aquarium, and this page was not created on their behalf. Nesting statistics, patrol contacts, program prices, and schedules are drawn from public sources and were accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing; verify current details directly with each organization before booking or volunteering. The live nest map pulls preliminary year-to-date counts from the SCDNR Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System; marker sizes and colors summarize beach totals, not individual nest GPS locations. Nothing here is legal or wildlife-handling advice; sea turtles are federally protected, and disturbing them or their nests carries serious penalties. This page is for general information only. Jennifer Dane is a licensed REALTOR® in South Carolina with eXp Realty LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity.