Sea-turtle season on Singer Island
For much of the year the beach below the residence is a nursery. The Palm Beaches are among the most heavily nested stretches of coast in the country, and a few simple habits let you enjoy the season without doing any harm.
Wild Florida
What happens, and when
Sea-turtle nesting season on this coast runs roughly from March into October. Female loggerheads — along with green and the occasional leatherback turtles — haul up the beach at night to dig and lay, and weeks later the hatchlings emerge and make their run to the water. Palm Beach County sees some of the densest loggerhead nesting anywhere in the United States, and the beach directly in front of the residence is part of it. You may see the tracks in the morning, or roped-off nests marked by the county's survey teams.
The best way to see turtles is with people who do it responsibly. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center up in Juno Beach is free to visit, rehabilitates injured turtles, and runs guided nesting walks in June and July; nearby John D. MacArthur Beach State Park runs them too. Both book out early in the season.
Sharing the beach
If you are staying during the season, the rules are simple and they matter: keep oceanfront lights off or shielded at night, because artificial light disorients hatchlings and can draw them away from the sea; never use flash photography near a turtle or a nest; fill in any holes and knock down sandcastles before you leave the beach, since they trap hatchlings; and give any turtle you see a wide, quiet berth. Our full sea-turtle guide covers where to go, what you are allowed to do, and how to report a turtle in trouble.
More from the journal
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The turtle hospital at Juno BeachA free sea-turtle hospital sits up the coast in Juno Beach, on one of the country's densest nesting beaches. Here is what it is, when the turtles nest, and how to keep the beach dark for them.Read →
A day in Miami on the BrightlineMiami is a little over an hour down the coast, and the train turns it into an easy day trip. Here is how one goes, from the ride to the station to sunset back on the balcony.Read →
Why September is the island's quietest monthThe crowds thin, the ocean is at its warmest, and the beach is nearly your own — with one honest caveat worth planning around.Read →
Stay at OASENA
A private two-bedroom home on the twelfth floor of the Happiness Tower: floor-to-ceiling ocean views, a wide balcony, and the resort's wellness centre an elevator ride below. Dates and rates are on Airbnb.
OASENA is a privately owned residence within Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences and is not operated by, affiliated with, or endorsed by the resort. See credits & notes.