Lights Out for Sea Turtles!

Lights Out for Sea Turtles!

You'll notice that many of the Strand's beachfront resorts keep the lights turned down low on the ocean side. This may add to the romance of a night-time stroll along the sand, but the primary beneficiaries of the darkness aren't humans…they're turtles.

Loggerhead sea turtles have been nesting on the beaches of the Grand Strand for thousands of years. (Seeing one of these often-giant reptiles come ashore to lay eggs in the sand is a rare thrill.) Today, loggerheads are a threatened species, so it's important to cut down on obstacles to their breeding.

That's where the darkness comes in. After a 60-day incubation period, the baby turtles hatch and begin to crawl toward the ocean. But bright lights confuse their navigation systems, causing them to head toward the light instead of the water, and making them easy prey for sand crabs and sea birds. Keeping lights to a minimum allows the baby turtles to heed their instincts and make it to the ocean.