People come from all over to watch tiny sea turtles crawl toward their home as Padre Island National Seashore hosts its first sea turtle release this year.
“Oh my gosh it was so cute,” San Antonio native Destiny Martinez said.
Officials with PINS said they had more than 600 people attend the first sea turtle hatchling of the year.
“Just seeing them making their way out to the ocean is so neat — just to be a part of the experience,” Dallas area resident Whitney Holland said.
Hatchling releases typically happen from June through August and are open to the public.
“It was an experience for the kids we are definitely excited about and I’m excited about and I’m an adult, but it’s still fun,” Martinez said.
Kelly Taylor, the PINS public information officer said with recent high temperatures causing a heat wave, the temperature of the sand helps incubates the sea turtles.
“This warm temperature is not a problem for them at all. They’re just going to head out to the water and make their way out to life,” Taylor said.
These releases have a big impact to the state and our area.
Officials with PINS told us in 2021, about 600,000 park visitors spent about $29.9 million in gateway regions while visiting the national seashore.
On average, about 1,300 people attend each sea turtle hatchling release held in the park.
The hatchlings usually take 20-45 minutes to make their way across the beach and into the water.
PINS officials said not all hatchling releases are public and they do not happen on a regular schedule because they cannot predict exactly when they hatch.
