On September 19, Huntington Beach Fire Department Marine Safety lifeguards answered a report of a turtle on the sand near the Huntington Beach Pier. When they arrived, they found a sea turtle digging a nest and laying eggs. Three days earlier, the same lifeguard service had gone to Surfside, just up the coast, for what was reported as a possibly injured turtle. That turtle was laying eggs too.
According to NOAA Fisheries, those two olive ridleys made the first natural sea turtle nests of any species ever recorded on the U.S. West Coast. The eggs were dug up and driven to Long Beach a week later. If they hatch, the hatchlings will be released on the sand where the eggs were laid, and NOAA is still monitoring that beach for more nesting.
Two Turtles, About Eight Miles Apart
NOAA says the first nest was on the beach near Seal Beach on September 16. The second came three days later and about 8 miles away, near the Huntington Beach Pier. The Daily Pilot and the Orange County Register put the first nest at Surfside, near the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, and the Huntington Beach nest near the Pier. Neither published an exact access point or coordinates.
A natural first question is whether one turtle nested twice. NOAA research biologist Dr. Cali Turner Tomaszewicz of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center compared photos of both animals: body shape, barnacles and the pattern of scutes on the shell. The answer was two different turtles.
The geography explains why this was such a surprise. NOAA says the closest regular olive ridley nesting site is in the western Cape region of Baja California, near Todos Santos, with a few scattered nests near Magdalena Bay. Nothing farther north had ever been recorded. Both nests were fenced, roped off and marked with interpretive signs while crews watched the ocean conditions.
Why the Eggs Left on September 25
The fencing protected the nests from people but could not protect them from the surf. A tropical storm was coming, and biologists from the federal wildlife agencies decided the eggs had the best odds if they were collected and hatched under human care. The forecast called for hazardous surf, beach erosion and possible flooding that could destroy the nests or wash them away.
On September 25, two teams dug out 204 eggs, the Register reported: 100 from Huntington Beach and 104 from Seal Beach. The sand measured 75 to 76 degrees when the eggs came out. At the Aquarium of the Pacific, veterinarian Dr. Lance Adams planned to incubate them at about 80 degrees, which falls between the low-70s and high-80s conditions the eggs would have seen in the wild. The eggs sit in sand-filled containers in a quiet, private area of the Aquarium's Molina Animal Care Center, where staff monitor the temperature and humidity.
In the Aquarium's announcement, Adams sounded hopeful:
"This is an unprecedented situation, and we're proud to provide a temporary home for these eggs as they incubate. We're hopeful that this will lead to a successful hatching in the near future and a successful release back to the wild."
The Daily Pilot also reported his caution. Nobody knows yet whether the eggs are viable, and moving eggs more than a day after they are laid can lower hatching success. The Huntington Beach clutch was laid September 19 and moved September 25, which puts it well past that one-day mark.
The Calendar From Here
NOAA and the Aquarium both say incubation usually takes 45 to 60 days. If the eggs hatch, the young turtles will be released on the beaches where the eggs were laid. For Huntington Beach, that means the sand near the Pier. Counting from each laying date gives this outline:
- September 16: Surfside nest laid.
- September 19: Huntington Beach nest laid near the Pier.
- September 25: Both clutches moved to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
- October 31 to November 15: The 45-to-60-day window for the Surfside clutch.
- November 3 to November 18: The same window for the Huntington Beach clutch.
These windows are simple arithmetic from the published incubation range. Nobody has announced a release date. Visit Huntington Beach's What's New page, updated October 5, 2026, says the eggs are expected to hatch in early November and go back to the ocean "if fertile." No public update through that date confirms fertility, embryo development or a hatch. Whether hatchlings will cross the sand by the Pier this fall is still an open question.
The Pier itself has one more October date. The city calendar lists the 75th Annual Pier Swim at 7 a.m. on October 31. That falls on the first day of the Surfside window, a few days before the Huntington Beach window opens.
Why the Beach Near the Pier Is Still Being Watched
The nests are gone, but the monitoring continues. NOAA says an olive ridley usually nests two to three times in a season, roughly two weeks apart and in the same general area. The agency says it is watching for more nesting and continuing to monitor the beaches where the two turtles came ashore. The Aquarium also says more turtles may nest, or may already have nested, on Southern California beaches. The timing fits, too. NOAA says Mexico's olive ridley nesting season runs from about July to December and is at its peak now.
Because of that, the agencies are asking beachgoers to keep watch. The guidance from the city, NOAA and the Aquarium comes down to a few steps:
- Look for tracks. The Aquarium specifically asks people to watch for sea turtle tracks in the sand.
- Call the hotline. If you see a turtle nesting or in distress, or think you have found a nest, call the 24/7 NOAA Fisheries West Coast Stranding Hotline at 562-506-4315. Lifeguards can also take reports.
- Keep your distance. Stay away from nesting turtles and nest sites, and leave fencing and signs alone.
- Share photos through NOAA. Sightings and photos go through NOAA's West Coast sea turtle reporting channel.
There is a legal side as well. Sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits harassing, harming, pursuing, capturing or collecting a listed species. NOAA Fisheries handles sea turtles in the ocean, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service handles them on nesting beaches. The Aquarium says the Pacific coast arribada breeding populations in Mexico are listed as endangered and all other olive ridley populations as threatened.
The response has drawn on many local groups. The Aquarium's partner list includes NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Huntington Beach Fire Department Marine Safety, the City of Huntington Beach, Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve, US Navy Seal Beach, Seal Beach Marine Safety, Surfside lifeguards and the Surfside Colony Community Association.
Why Here, and Why It May Not Be a One-Time Event
NOAA calls the cause uncertain but names warm sea surface temperatures from ongoing marine heatwaves and the incoming 2027 El Niño as likely key factors. The agency adds that olive ridleys are nomadic, highly migratory animals, and navigational errors may also have played a part. NOAA scientist Jeffrey Seminoff told the Los Angeles Times that the turtles may have been looking for better conditions as their usual nesting areas warm, or they may have simply gotten lost.
Sea turtles in local waters are not new. They have just been a different species. Aquarium volunteers first documented green sea turtles living year-round in the San Gabriel River near the Long Beach and Seal Beach border in 2008. A 2023 peer-reviewed study of observations from 2013 to 2021 reported green turtle sightings at Bolsa Chica Wetlands and regular sightings in the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. In that data, only green turtles had been recorded in the river. The Aquarium says its regional monitoring had spotted olive ridleys before, but until this September, none had been seen nesting.
That history matters more because of how this species behaves. NOAA says adult females show high fidelity to the beach where they hatched, and about 15 years after hatching, some return as adults to nest there. Aquarium president and CEO Jeff Flocken made the same point in the Aquarium's announcement. If the eggs hatch, he said, the young turtles "may one day return to nest to carry on future generations on these very same beaches." That is why the release site matters. If the 100 Huntington Beach eggs produce hatchlings this November, they will start out on the sand near the Pier, and any females that survive to adulthood would be expected to head for that beach when it is their turn to nest.
IMPACT Realty Group follows what happens in the coastal communities we serve, including stories like this one that have nothing to do with real estate. If you own near the water in Huntington Beach and want to know where your home stands this fall, start with a free home valuation and a direct conversation with our team.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
