It takes a village to rescue, rehabilitate, research or release each and every sick and injured sea turtle that comes ashore. On the front lines of this journey are the caring hands of many passionate volunteers who dedicate their time to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles.
They are members of a network of “Turtle Teams” who conduct sea turtle nesting conservation and/or stranded sea turtle response and transport. Most often, these volunteers serve as the first wave of help in a sea turtle’s rescue story, providing a period of safety and care before they begin the next leg of their rehabilitation journey at the Aquarium.
Covering the Coast
There are two groups of teams who are federally permitted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and have received specialized training in nesting conservation and/or the handling, care and transport of stranded sea turtles. Since SCDNR’s home base is in Charleston, their staff rely on these volunteers to help swiftly respond to sick, injured and dead sea turtles. These volunteers’ range and efforts stretch all the way from Waites Island bordering North Carolina down to Daufuskie Island bordering Georgia!
Turtle Team volunteers begin their work at dawn.Trekking the Tideline
Each morning during nesting season (May–October), Nest Protection Network volunteers set out on a sunrise walk on our South Carolina beaches. They cover nearly every beach in the entire state in search for tracks that reveal the nighttime visit of a female sea turtle who has come ashore to lay her eggs.
They spend their mornings tirelessly recording where they found tracks and/or a nest, moving the nest above the tideline if necessary, setting up nest protections and signage and collecting data for research purposes. Without these protections, hundreds — maybe even thousands — of sea turtle nests would be washed away with the shifting tides, predated on by animals or damaged by unsuspecting beachgoers.
Tracks show volunteers where and when sea turtles come ashore.Road to Rehabilitation
Since these volunteers are often the first people to walk the coast each day, it is not uncommon for them to also be the first to encounter a stranded sea turtle who washed ashore overnight! There is some overlap in the teams, but once a sea turtle is found, what comes next can mean a world of difference for their survival. SCDNR and the Aquarium rely on the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) volunteers to be responsive, diligent and communicative to ensure a swift rescue and transport to us.
STSSN transporters are dispatched by SCDNR to collect the sea turtle and information about the stranding — such as location, approximate age, visible injuries, photos and species — before carefully loading up the sea turtle for a road trip to the Aquarium… which for some, may take as long as three hours one-way! We are lucky to have such close connections with each transporter so we can collect the critical information before the patients’ admit, ensuring a smooth start to triage once they arrive at the Aquarium.
Volunteers drive from near and far to bring patients into our care.Treasured Time Together
While these sick and injured sea turtles are likely having one of the most difficult days of their lives, these passionate turtle teams from both the Nest Protection Network and the STSSN, provide respite from the chaos, often dedicating countless hours of their time to provide each sea turtle with a second chance at life. It takes a special kind of person to share their heart with these threatened and endangered animals. We are eternally grateful to our South Carolina Turtle Teams*:
Botany Bay Beaches
Bull Island
Cape Island
Daufuskie Island
DeBordieu-Prince Georgetown-Hobcaw SCUTE
Edingsville Beach
Edisto Beach Loggerhead Turtle Project
Edisto Beach State Park
Folly Beach Turtle Watch
Friends of Hunting Island State Park
Fripp Island Turtle Program
Garden City/Surfside SCUTE
Harbor Island Turtle Program
Hunting Island State Park
Huntington Beach State Park
Island Turtle Team of Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island
Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol
Lighthouse Island
Litchfield Beaches SCUTE
Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach State Park
North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol
SCUTE
Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island
Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol
South Island
Pawley’s Island SCUTE
Team Pritchards
Visit today to meet a few of the patients that these teams have helped rescue this year.
Published July 16, 2025
*While we have done our best to highlight every team in the state, this list may not be comprehensive.