Daytime Nesting Leatherback Sea Turtle

The chances of coming across a Leatherback sea turtle nesting in the daytime in March near Brevard County are slim to none. Matt and Jim would eat worms to have been on hand for this rare daytime nesting event that took place near Hutchinson Island (south of Vero Beach) on March 22.

Our trusty Sea Turtle Preservation Society friend, Ann Zscheile, provided us with this story and passed along the photos. Dave and Ann North are from Delaware and have been staying in Florida since January. Dave was fishing on the beach off of Hutchinson Island when he saw a huge object come out of the sea. He said all sorts of thoughts went through his mind, including maybe it was a human body. When he realized he was watching a VERY large sea turtle emerge from the ocean, he called his wife on his cell phone. She quickly grabbed her camera and came to the beach.

After the event. someone told Ann North that there was a sea turtle organization in Melbourne Beach called the Sea Turtle Preservation Society. She looked it up on the internet, got our number, and called and left a message that she had a video and pictures of a nesting sea turtle and would we be interested in seeing her pictures and videos?

The Norths provided the STPS with still photos and video, and when I asked if I might use a few of the pictures in my blog, Ann North was so gracious, saying it was her pleasure to share them! It's one thing to read that mature male and female Leatherbacks can be as long as six and one-half feet long and weigh nearly a ton, but these photos make those dimensions a reality. Many thanks to the Norths for sharing their once-in-a-lifetime experience with us.