Jensen Beach Sea Turtle Nesting Season: What to Know

If your trip falls between roughly April and August, you’re visiting during one of the most remarkable natural events on the Treasure Coast — sea turtle nesting season, when loggerhead, green, and occasionally leatherback turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs.

How to experience it responsibly

• Guided turtle walks are held during nesting season — check locally for current dates and times, as reservations are typically required
• Never approach a nesting turtle on your own, and never use flash photography or flashlights near the beach at night
• Nests are marked and protected by local conservation groups — please respect the roped-off areas

Why it matters

This stretch of coast, part of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge system, is one of the most important sea turtle nesting habitats in the entire western hemisphere. Eggs laid in early summer typically hatch by late summer, and hatchling emergences are just as protected and just as special to witness, if you’re lucky with timing.

It’s a genuinely memorable experience, especially for kids, and a good reminder of why keeping the beaches here clean and dark at night matters well beyond the tourist season.

FloridaColin