Florida’s Beaches Are Full of Nesting Sea Turtles Right Now–Here’s How to See Them

Each summer, thousands of sea turtles make an intentional voyage ashore to nest on Florida’s beaches—and there’s a way to view them in a very intimate and meaningful way. As a longtime Florida resident, I can tell you from personal experience that there’s just something magical about seeing a sea turtle crawl onto the beach to nest and start the next generation (as long as you do it in an ethical way). While nesting may happen all along the state’s coastline, there are certain areas that are much more popular with mama turtles. 

Here’s all you need to know about visiting Florida during sea turtle nesting season, as well as ways that you can experience it. 

The three main species nesting on Florida’s beaches are the loggerhead, green turtle, and leatherback. The hawksbill and Kemp’s ridley occasionally make an appearance as well, but the main three species are closely monitored by state wildlife officials and researchers across the state. To see how many sea turtles were nesting here, I reviewed data from the 2025 Florida Statewide Nesting Beach Survey that was compiled by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This shows how many sea turtle nests were found in the state last year, as well as the locations. 

In order to determine the best places to see nesting sea turtles in Florida, I used FWC’s data to see which counties had the most nests in 2025. It was apparent that the majority of the nesting activity happened in one stretch of shoreline on Florida’s east coast. This popular nesting area extends from Brevard County through the Treasure Coast beaches, and all the way to Palm Beach County. There is also one county on Florida’s Gulf coast that made our list of best places to see sea turtles nesting in Florida:

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this is the most significant area for loggerhead sea turtle nesting in the world. I’ve personally participated in two guided sea turtle walks there and have been fortunate enough to see nesting turtles each time. Since this area had the highest overall number of nests in 2025, this is our top pick for the best place in Florida to see sea turtles nest under the stars. 

While it’s clear that Florida beaches are full of sea turtle nests, data shows there were 290,936 documented false crawls in 2025. This means sea turtles made their way onto the beach, but then changed their mind. Researchers are able to gather this information by studying the tracks that are left behind each morning. The tracks were there to prove their presence, but they were able to determine that there wasn’t a nest. 

A female sea turtle may change her mind for any reason as she’s seeking the best place to lay her eggs, but human disturbance is a big factor. That’s why it is important to experience sea turtle nesting in the appropriate way. Here are three cool ways to do it:

I love taking morning walks on the beach, and especially during sea turtle nesting season. Nesting takes place at night, and each morning brings a new gift, as you can see tracks left behind from the previous night’s activity. Photographers, you’ll never find a cooler leading line to shoot than the lines that trace a turtle’s path to her nest, and then back to the ocean. You can do this on your own, but groups like Longboat Key Turtle Watch also lead free guided beach walks each Saturday morning in June and July. 

While it may sound counter-productive to dig up a sea turtle nest, that’s exactly what researchers do – but they don’t do it until the end of nesting season. Groups such as Sea Turtle Conservancy offer the opportunity to come along as they study nests and determine how many turtles hatched each year. Sometimes there are hatchlings left behind in a nest that haven’t made their way to the ocean yet. It is never guaranteed, but you could possibly get to see a turtle being released into the ocean. 

I think this is my personal favorite! If you want to actually be there for the action and see a sea turtle lay her eggs, you can do that as well. This is one of the most incredible wildlife experiences you can have in Florida, but is not something you should try to do on your own. This can be disruptive for the turtles, and could cause them to not lay their eggs. 

However, you can book a guided sea turtle walk with a reliable organization that is authorized to conduct tours. They are trained to witness this amazing experience in a way that doesn’t disturb the nesting turtles. It’s great to be with a pro that can help you navigate your way on a dark beach, too. 

Book a guided sea turtle walk with these trusted Florida organizations:

Reservations fill quickly. Book as early as possible, especially for walks at Archie Carr.

Even when you aren’t walking the beach on a guided sea turtle walk, it’s important to observe local rules when visiting a Florida beach during sea turtle nesting season. A lot of the nesting takes place in June and July, but some overachieving turtle moms could start nesting as early as March. Of course, there are some procrastinators who wait a little longer as well. To err on the side of caution, many places observe sea turtle nesting season from March to October and have special regulations during that period of time. 

Pro Tip: FWC has sea turtle puzzles and coloring pages that you can download for free. This is a fun way to learn about these fascinating creatures before you visit.