Turtle hatch begins on Longboat Key

By Dana Kampa
| 5:00 a.m. July 2, 2025

Longboat Key Turtle Watch reported the first hatch of the 2025 season in a post on June 28.

Longboat Key
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Minuscule flipper prints marked the sands of Longboat Key's beaches this week.

Longboat Key Turtle Watch shared in a June 28 post that the first sea turtle nest hatch of the season occurred that morning. Most hatching typically starts in July, and the official nesting season continues through Oct. 31.

The watch group recorded 585 total nests last year in the area of Manatee County it patrols on Longboat Key.

Members of the public can join educational walks at 6:45 a.m. every Saturday in July, starting at the public beach access at 4795 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Visit LBKTurtleWatch.com for turtle walk details and information about ongoing monitoring efforts.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.