11/13/2025
Pretty cool!
🌊 A Record Year for Hope on Anna Maria Island 🐢✨
This year, 30,613 baby sea turtles made their incredible journey from nest to ocean - each one taking its first tiny steps beneath the stars, guided by moonlight and the soft rhythm of the Gulf waves.
Thanks to the dedication of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers, every stretch of the island’s 8½-mile shoreline was carefully protected. Their efforts paid off: 471 nests were recorded, with 420 successfully hatching - turning this slice of Florida coast into one of the state’s most inspiring wildlife success stories.
Most of these hatchlings were loggerheads (nearly 29,700) joined by over 1,200 green turtles. With calm seas, warm sand, and darkened beaches to guide them, thousands of tiny flippers found their way home to the Gulf - a small miracle repeated, nest by nest. 💛🌙
Disclaimer: Images are generated using AI for illustration purposes only.
