Leatherback Turtle Nest Hatches

The leatherback turtle nest on Holden Beach hatched the evening of Thursday, August 5th!

The nest is the first known ever known to nest here.

Back on June first a six-and-a-half foot long leatherback turtle, estimated to weigh around 900 pounds, nested here on Holden Beach.

By late evening Thursday, August 5th, over 50 leatherback baby turtles had hatched successfully. Volunteers from the Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program assisted the little guys in their trek to the sea.

As the first baby emerged from the nest it was greeted with applause and a chorus of “Happy Birthday.”

Counting this one, there were 30 turtle nests on Holden Beach this summer. Of them one is confirmed as a green turtle nest and another is thought to perhaps also be  a green turtle nest.

All of the rest are loggerheads, which are the most commonly found kinds of turtle nesting along the beaches of Brunswick County.

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Sea Turtles

Here are three videos showing a Turtle laying eggs, eggs hatching and baby turtle making his (or her) way to the ocean! This time of year the Turtles are coming ashore to lay their eggs – you can help by observing the rules at the bottom of this page!

Sea turtle laying 209 eggs on bird island:

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Sea Turtles Hatching at Sunset Beach,NC during August, 2009 near midnight:

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A Sea Turtle makes his (or her) way to the ocean!:

You can help the turtles when you visit Sunset Beach by following a few simple guidelines:

Do Not Disturb: If you see an adult sea turtle coming on shore, stay quiet and keep your distance! Otherwise she may get scared and go back into the ocean without nesting. They are an endangered species and it is a federal offense to harass them.

Turn Off All Flashlights! Lights may scare or confuse the adult female and cause her to leave without nesting.

Lights Cause Hatchlings To Go In the Wrong Direction: Please turn off all outside lights each night. Also if there are curtains or blinds use them so your indoor lights do not lead the hatchlings away from the ocean.

Never Pick Up A Hatchling. It is critical that they crawl on their own.
Do Not Disturb The Nest Area. Watch for the nest markers.

Stay Off Sand Dunes & Do Not Pick Sea Oats. Sand dunes provide critical habitat for sea turtles and help prevent flooding during times of extreme tides and storms. Foot traffic kills plants and severely damages the sand dunes. The penalty for failure to adhere to this requirement is a $100 fine.

Help Us Keep Our Beaches Clean -Sea turtles may mistake a plastic bag or other forms of litter for a jellyfish (they eat them). All personal items and equipment must be removed from the beach each day- these items may trap a sea turtle.

Please Fill In All Holes On The Beach When Done Playing.- Holes can trap sea turtles and are a safety hazard to humans.

Keep Dogs On Leashes At All Times!- No dogs shall be permitted on the beach strand between the hours of 9:00am and 6:00pm during period of Memorial Day through Labor Day regardless of whether they are leashed or not.
Fireworks can scare off nesting sea turtles and leave behind trash that may be mistaken for food by marine wildlife.- Discharge of fireworks is not permitted per North Carolina state laws.

Please Report all sightings of nesting turtles, dead turtles, unmarked nests or crawls (looks like a bulldozer came out of the water).Call the Holden Beach Turtle Watch 24 Hour Pager at 910-754-0766

Keep up with the Turtle Watch at: www.hbturtlewatch.com

Leatherback Sea Turtle

On the night of May 31st, 2010, Holden Beach, NC  had a vary rare visitor. A Leatherback sea turtle laid a nest in the 700 block of the island.

While she was laying her nest, she was discovered by a small group of college students from the Chicago area, who were vacationing on the island.

The visitors remembered seeing a sign that listed the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol pager number. They called the number and a Turtle Patrol volunteer responded. As soon as the volunteer saw the turtle she recognized that this turtle was not the typical Loggerhead. It was a Leatherback!

This is the first time that a Leatherback has nested on Holden Beach since the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol started 21 year ago. There were only three Leatherback nests in all of North Carolina last year, so this is a very special occasion.

Unlike other sea turtles, Leatherbacks change their nesting beach, but they stay in the same general location. With so few nests each year in North Carolina, we feel extremely fortunate to have this turtle pick our island.

Leatherbacks are the largest turtles on earth. They can be up to seven feet in length and weigh up to 2000 pounds. The carapace of the Leatherback is somewhat flexible and almost rubbery to the touch, in contrast to the hard, bony shells of other sea turtles. Hence the name Leatherback. Leatherbacks can dive as deep as 4,200 feet (deeper than any other turtle) and stay under up to 85 minutes.

Leatherbacks undertake the longest migration between breeding and feeding areas of any sea turtle (an average of 3,700 miles each way). Leatherbacks can be found in the  Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. They travel as far north as Canada and Norway and as far south as New Zealand and South America. Leatherbacks are currently designated as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act and are the subject of much study around the world.

Visit the Holden Beach Turtle Patrol’s website at http://hbturtlewatch.org if you would like to know more about the progress of the Leatherback nest and other facts about sea turtles or attend Turtle Talk. Turtle Talk is a one hour program held at 7:00 p.m. each Wednesday night from June 16th through August 11th in the Town Hall Public Assembly.

Holden Beach In Our State!

Local Holden Beach fisherman Tony DiFranco is front and center on the cover May issue of Our State Magazine. The May issue is traditionally their “Coastal Issue”. Editor Elizabeth Hudson and Art Director Deanne O’Connor note that “The May Coastal Issue provides great cover opportunities to showcase the beauty and richness of our North Carolina beaches.”

“We loved how one shot, above all others, stood out. Photographer Geoff Wood captured the image of fisherman Tony DiFranco just as the early morning light illuminated his kind face. As viewers, we are drawn in to the scene and story — here, we are more than mere spectators but participants in the scene. It’s easy to feel a connection to this fisherman, and we feel as if we are standing right there with him on the Holden Beach pier, listening to the click of his reel, smelling the salt in the air.”

A great cover photograph should capture the character and personality of a place, and the fisherman cover reveals the essence of a favorite visit to the North Carolina coast.

Other coastal stories in the issue reflect the wistful nostalgia of memory — including a look back at the little Sunset Beach Bridge (at nearby Sunset Beach NC) to the fond recollections of a NC family as they spend another summer in their beach cottage.

Our State Magazine wanted a cover that reminded all of us of our past and the traditions we carry through from season to season. We think they achieved that at Holden Beach!

Blue Crab Festival May 15-16

The 29th Annual Blue Crab Festival, held in nearby Little River, SC has announced plans for the Festival to be held May 15-16, 2010. The Blue Crab Festival is one of the largest festivals in the southeast.

Prior to the actual festival, much additional festival publicity and excitement will be generated through the following ancillary events: Festival Queen Pageant, 5K Run, Motorcycle Poker Run and Golf Cart Raffle, and other events still under development.

This year’s festival will feature approximately 175 truly arts and crafts vendors, specialty food vendors, tremendous entertainment, and phenomenal children’s area.

Festival Activities include:
Arts & Crafts, Food, Music, Kids Area, Family Fun, Business Booths, Community Groups, 3rd Annual Beauty Pageant, 3rd Annual 5K Run (The race will start and finish along the historic Little River waterfront.), Harley Davidson BlowOut, Live music and entertainment every day!

Click here to visit their website: bluecrabfestival.org

So How Was Your Day?

The boat delivery was on time… a 65′ custom-built motor yacht complete with 4 staterooms, a state-of-the-art galley, GPS System and radar for navigation, twin supercharged diesel engines, etc.

Cost: $4,500,000.00! There was champagne, chocolate covered strawberries with cream and music dockside for the excited ’soon to be owners’ and a small? group of friends… cost: $500.00.

On hand to oversee were two corporate representatives, workers, a crane, and rigging complete with faulty turn buckle. Cost: $2,500 an hour!

Watching your dreamboat nose dive into the harbour, accompanied by two corporate representatives just prior to ‘inking’ the final paperwork… PRICELESS!

So, how was your day…?

Resort Wins Cleanliness Award

On March 8th of this year The Winds Resort, on nearby Ocean Isle Beach, was awarded with the coveted Platinum A Award from The Environmental Health Section of the Brunswick County Health Department.

This department is responsible for all manner of health inspections – they inspect accommodations, restaurant, kitchens, dining area and The Winds’ TikiBar.

When you reach the Platinum level that means that you have received the Golden A Award for five consecutive years. The Golden A Award is received when you have a 95% or above for all inspections.

The owners and management of The Winds thank their food service and housekeeping staff for their diligence and are so proud of this ward and the people who won it for The Winds!

15% Off Lodging Coupons!

Download free discount coupons good for 15% off the already low off season room rates! Click here to download these valuable coupons that you can print right off of your computer.

Island Escape Package!

Come enjoy our island at the best time of year.

The beach is quiet, the air and water temperatures are warming up and best of all the rates are low! Enjoy long walks along the uncrowded shore – just you, your loved one and the pelicans and seagulls.

What a great time to get away!

The Winds Resort Beach Club’s Island Escape Package starts as low as $199.00 for two people for a 3 Day/ 2 Night Getaway!
Island Escape 3 Day/ 2 Night Getaway Package For Two

Package includes:

• Accommodations in an Island View Camellia Guest Room with a wet bar, microwave and refrigerator, sitting area and an islandview deck.
• Hot Southern breakfast buffet
• Champagne for a private toast
• Use of complimentary bikes to explore the island
• Add Dinner For Two at nearby Sharky’s Waterfront Restaurant (overlooking the intra-coastal waterway) for $65.00. Dinner Includes: Two Entrees (any menu item), Bottle of House Wine, Salad, Dessert, Non-alcoholic Beverages.

So what’s stopping you? Start planning your escape – the dates for these rates are:

$199.00* Sun.– Thurs. nights – 3 Days/ 2 Nights – 5/2/10 – 5/20/10

Call 800.334.3581 for reservations!

Package includes:

• Accommodations in an Island View Camellia Guest Room with a wet bar, microwave and refrigerator, sitting area and an islandview deck.
• Hot Southern breakfast buffet
• Champagne for a private toast
• Use of complimentary bikes to explore the island
• Add *Dinner For Two at nearby Sharky’s Waterfront Restaurant (overlooking the intra-coastal waterway) for $65.00. Dinner Includes: Two Entrees (any menu item), Bottle of House Wine, Salad, Dessert, Non-alcoholic Beverages.

*Please note that some restaurants have seasonal hours and may not be open seven days a week. Please check for restaurant availability when booking.

The air and water temps remain mild throughout this time of year. So come enjoy yourself in the sunshine on our breathtaking island beach, around our oceanfront pool, in our indoor heated pool or in one of our many whirlpool spas.

*Special Rates are for reservations booked on or after 5/1/10. Not available with any other discount or special rates. Special rates and discounts not applicable during holidays and high occupancy periods.

The Winds is a proud recipient of The Gold Star of Excellence Award from the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association for “Spotless Reputation in Cleanliness”!

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