Nighttime Sea Turtle Walk 7-8-21 FULL

PROGRAM DETAILS

Program start time: 9:00 pm (Please arrive no later than 8:45 pm, and wait outside of the employee gate at the south end of our parking lot.  A staff member will walk all attendees to our classroom as one group.  The gate to our property will be locked promptly at 9:00 pm, and late arrivals will not be able to participate in the walk.)

Location: Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center – 890 NE Ocean Blvd., Stuart, FL 34996

Program Fee: $30.00 per participant

Age restrictions: Participants must be at least 10 years of age. Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult guardian.  

Program Expectations            

• Participants must be able to walk in soft or wet sand for up to 1 mile to/from the nesting site. Boardwalks and stairs will also be used for crossing the dunes.
• The turtle walk might continue until 12:00 am or later, depending on when a turtle is spotted and how long her nesting process takes.
• Following the educational classroom program, guests will wait at the Coastal Center until a sea turtle is spotted by our scouts out on the beach. An educational film will be shown during this time.    
• Cut off time for scouts to find a viewable turtle is 11:30 pm.
• Sea turtles are on their own schedule, so there are NO guarantees that a viewable turtle will be sighted. We cannot offer refunds if a turtle is not found, but appreciate your support, as all ticket sales directly benefit our sea turtle education programs.
• Participants must have their own means of transportation to follow the group from Florida Oceanographic Society to the beach access.
• Beach conditions can get rainy, muggy, and buggy, so please come prepared.
• We do not cancel the program in the event of rain – no matter how heavy – so bring a rain coat if rain is in the forecast. Lightning may result in delay of program or cancellation.  

Come prepared

• All participants must wear a face covering while in the classroom AND while out on the beach.
• Black or dark-colored clothing is required (long sleeves and long pants reduce bug bites)
• Comfortable shoes that can get sandy and wet (no bare feet please)
• Rain coat/poncho  (no umbrellas please)
• Bug spray (please apply in the parking lot when you arrive)
• A drink and snack while waiting at the Coastal Center (please, no food once we arrive at the nesting beach)
• No smoking, vaping, or alcohol consumption during any phase of the turtle walk program

*Please do NOT bring any flashlights, cameras or cellphones on the beach. The use of any light or flash photography can disturb nesting turtles and is not permitted.

Cancellation Policy

• No refunds or date swaps will be granted if cancelled within seven days of your reserved date. Due to the popularity and off-hour timing of this program, last-minute cancellations will be considered a donation to support sea turtle education at Florida Oceanographic Society.
• In the event that Florida Oceanographic Society must cancel a program, refunds will be issued, but date changes cannot be guaranteed.

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Registration Help

• Registration is limited to 15 spots per date. Please do not bring extra, unregistered guests to your walk.
• During registration, your group size will be limited by the number of available spots remaining for your selected night.  All remaining spots will appear in the pull-down menu.
• If you would prefer to book a “single-family” sea turtle walk, please contact Dr. Zack Jud, Director of Education, at zjud@floridaocean.org. 
• Please include the same email address for ALL participants in your party.