A Sea Turtle Nested by the Huntington Beach Pier. Here's What Could Happen Next.

On September 19, Huntington Beach Fire Department Marine Safety lifeguards went out to a sea turtle sighting near the Huntington Beach Pier. When they got there, the turtle was laying eggs. They set up a perimeter and called in the agencies that handle this kind of thing. Until that month, nobody on the West Coast had ever needed to make that call.

The eggs have been at an aquarium in Long Beach since late September. Federal wildlife officials still plan to bring any hatchlings back to the beaches where the eggs were laid. One of those beaches is the sand just south of Tower 15 in Huntington Beach.

Two nests, eight miles apart, three days apart

The Huntington Beach nest was the second one. Three days earlier, on September 16, an olive ridley sea turtle came ashore on the Seal Beach shoreline near Surfside and dug a nest. NOAA Fisheries calls it the first recorded nest for any sea turtle species on the U.S. West Coast. The pier nest was about 8 miles south.

At first, nobody could say whether the same turtle had nested twice. When the City of Huntington Beach posted about it on September 22, it quoted NOAA saying it was unclear whether the two sightings were one animal or two. NOAA research biologist Dr. Cali Turner Tomaszewicz later compared photos of both turtles, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now says two different olive ridleys laid the nests.

That's a big deal for a species that doesn't usually nest anywhere near here. Olive ridleys are the smallest sea turtles. Adults weigh up to 100 pounds, measure about 2.5 to 3 feet long, and live an estimated 30 to 50 years. Their major Pacific nesting beaches stretch from Mexico to Panama. The city's notice put it plainly: olive ridleys sometimes show up off Southern California in warm currents, but none had ever been documented nesting in the United States. Populations along Mexico's Pacific coast are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Both nests were fenced and roped off, with interpretive signs posted, while crews watched ocean conditions. NOAA personnel came back to put a more permanent perimeter around the Huntington Beach site.

Why the eggs got only six days on the sand

The Huntington Beach eggs stayed in the sand for six days. Early on Friday, September 25, biologists dug up 204 eggs, 100 from the pier nest and 104 from Seal Beach, and drove them to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

They moved because of the weather. Hurricane Polo was on its way, and the Daily Pilot reported that officials warned the hazardous surf, beach erosion and risk of flooding could destroy or wash away the nests. The Fish and Wildlife Service generally prefers to disturb wildlife as little as possible. Jonathan Snyder, acting field supervisor of the agency's Carlsbad office, explained the exception at a news conference at the aquarium, as the Daily Pilot reported:

"In general, the Fish and Wildlife Service likes to focus on the least intrusive method possible when trying to recover species. But in this case, the nests were going to be destroyed ... We had to make some quick decisions, and I think this was the best decision for species recovery."

Moving the eggs had a cost. Aquarium veterinarian Lance Adams told the Daily Pilot that hatching success "could be on the low side," because the eggs were moved more than a day after they were laid. The eggs rode to Long Beach in Styrofoam coolers. They now sit in sand-filled containers at the aquarium's Molina Animal Care Center.

The Aquarium of the Pacific says the eggs are in a quiet, private area where staff track temperature and humidity. The OC Register reported they're being incubated at about 80 degrees.

The calendar the eggs are running on

NOAA says olive ridley incubation usually takes 45 to 60 days. Counting from each laying date gives a rough window, though nobody can promise a date.

Everything on that calendar depends on one unknown. NOAA says the eggs' viability and fertilization haven't been determined. As of mid-October, Environmental Protection reported that the eggs were still incubating and no hatch result had come out. The OC Register's first report on September 25 said hatching could come by early November. The Fish and Wildlife Service's later update points to approximately mid-November.

The plan brings the story back to the pier

If the eggs hatch, NOAA says the hatchlings will be released on the beaches where the eggs were laid, so they can cross the sand to the ocean. The Fish and Wildlife Service puts it as "near the original nest sites," and adds that warmer water linked to El Niño may make a natural release possible. The OC Register reported that any release would happen at night.

No release date or public event has been announced. The agency says it will post updates as incubation goes on and the release plan comes together.

The Fish and Wildlife Service's one request to people who live near the beach is about nighttime light. The agency asks beachgoers and residents to reduce light pollution, because lights can disorient hatchlings and keep adult females from coming ashore. For anyone who lives or spends evenings near the pier, that means the sand by Tower 15 matters more after dark than it usually does.

Why this may not be the only season

The nesting season isn't necessarily over. NOAA says each olive ridley usually nests two to three times a season, about two weeks apart and in the same general area, and its team is watching for more nests. The Daily Pilot noted that olive ridleys nest in Mexico from July through December, with September at the peak.

Nobody knows yet why these turtles came this far north. NOAA calls the cause uncertain and lists marine heatwaves and the incoming 2027 El Niño as likely factors, along with the species' wandering migrations and possible navigation errors. Scientists quoted in the Los Angeles Times also mentioned warming sand, shifting ranges and erosion on the turtles' usual nesting beaches as possibilities. One local expert told the paper it isn't clear yet whether this is a one-time event or the start of a pattern.

Federal officials are preparing for either outcome. The Fish and Wildlife Service says it's writing an interim conservation strategy in case sea turtles keep nesting in California. That planning only makes sense if Huntington Beach's sand might host a nest again.

If a turtle comes ashore on your stretch of beach

People who were on the beach played a real part in this story. The OC Register reported that beachgoers who saw the turtles laying eggs called it in, and the first Seal Beach call came in as a possibly injured turtle. The city and federal agencies have published what to do if it happens again:

1. Keep your distance. Stay back from turtles, nests and hatchlings, and leave any fencing and signs alone. Sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
2. Report what you see. Use NOAA's West Coast Sea Turtle Reporting form, or call the West Coast Stranding Hotline at (562) 506-4315. The Aquarium of the Pacific and the Fish and Wildlife Service say the hotline is staffed around the clock.
3. Flag a lifeguard. Huntington Beach Fire Department Marine Safety lifeguards secured both sites in September before the federal teams arrived.
4. Call the same number for a stranded turtle. NOAA and the city both send stranding reports to (562) 506-4315.
5. Turn down the lights. The Fish and Wildlife Service asks residents to cut back on light that reaches the beach at night.

The city's thank-you list shows how many groups worked on this. Huntington Beach and Seal Beach lifeguards, Surfside lifeguards, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, US Navy Seal Beach, the Seaside Colony Communication Association, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Aquarium of the Pacific are all on it.

I'll be watching for the release announcement along with everyone else who loves this coastline. If this story has you thinking about your own place near the water in Surf City, Mary Meza Hayes is glad to talk through it with you, whether you're staying put or getting ready for what's next. Schedule your free consultation.