Blue Turtle Beach Cottage

06/03/2024

Joining us at the Blue Turtle this year? Plan your OKI vacation (with a little help from AI) at

Expert Tour Guide and Travel Planner for Oak Island, North Carolina.

05/15/2024

Sea Turtles are our treasure! Please don't leave your outdoor lights on at night and please ask if you have any questions about/or want to learn more about our fabulous visitors!

Baby sea turtles rely on natural lights from the moon, stars or breaking waves to find their way to the ocean and may mistake house lights, flashlights or streetlights for the direction they need to go.

05/15/2024

Baby sea turtles rely on natural lights from the moon, stars or breaking waves to find their way to the ocean and may mistake house lights, flashlights or streetlights for the direction they need to go.

12/19/2023

What great information- our OKI Sea Turtle folks do such an amazing job!!

We had a few obstacles but overall, we had a great season! 2023 was our third-highest number of nests on record! We have had record-breaking years two years in a row! This season we were #1 on the leaderboard on seaturtle.org, and we were third in NC for the number of nests per beach...Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout beat us! We are so very blessed to be able to help protect and care for the sea turtles that visit our beautiful island! Thank you to those of you who care and continue supporting our efforts! You are Appreciated!
🐢❤🐢❤🐢
*This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Oak Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST01).

08/03/2023

Our OKI turtles have simply changed my life... I can't wait to live down here full time so I can be a volunteer... The work that the Oak Island Turtle folks do is amazing!

07/01/2023

Please keep in mind our turtles- the ladies are back and are laying this year- so let's protect them!

There are many sea turtle nests located on Caswell Beach and many mama turtles are still looking for a safe place to dig their nest at night. Please be respectful of the nest areas (marked with stakes, and a NC Wildlife Resources Commission sign).

CLEAN:
Pick up trash and remove your belongings when you leave each day. Tents and chairs are a danger to nighttime walkers and can ensnare nesting turtles. Help keep our lovely beach clean and free of debris.

DARK:
No flashlights or flash photos around turtles. Please turn off outside ocean facing lights and close blinds/curtains. Lights disorient turtles and affect their survival rates.

FLAT:
PLEASE Fill in holes and knock down tall sand castles. Help prevent injury to fellow beachgoers, emergency responders AND turtles, day or night.

QUIET:
Keep your distance from nesting turtles, stay at least 20 feet behind and stay quiet. NEVER walk in front of a turtle or shine any lights (white or red) on a mama turtle or a hatchling.

COME SIT:
When nests are ready to hatch, you are welcome to sit with our permitted teams to observe! Ask any questions you’d like and please follow their directions.

*Call us at 910-368-6323 if you see any turtle activity! Day or Night!
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03).

06/04/2023

Adopt-A-Nest is Back! We have had a lot of interest in our Adopt-A-Nest Program! We are excited for our new season and we hope we have lots of nests to offer for adoption! We have all information on how many nests are open for adoption and how to adopt them on our website, okiseaturtle.org. All nests are exclusive to one adoption! We never want you to adopt a nest we do not have so we will open adoptions when we have a minimum of 25 nests on the island, so keep checking the website! Please check the website, the homepage lets you know how many nests we have and the Adoption page lets you know how many nests are available to adopt! We cannot express our sincere gratitude and thanks to everyone that is excited about our sea turtles!! We appreciate all of you and we hope you get the opportunity to adopt!!!
🐢❤️🐢❤️🐢
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Oak Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST01).**

06/04/2023

06/01/2023

A very exciting post from yesterday...

04/29/2023

Manatees near OKI- how cool!!

03/24/2023

Anyone looking for a new family member? This rescue is located in Richmond, VA, but we at the Blue Turtle Beach Cottage work with them regularly... they're a great group!

03/15/2023

https://www.travelandleisure.com/oak-island-north-carolina-beach-town-7254746?utm_campaign=travelandleisure_travelandleisure&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=64107fa8e038ba00012ee4f5

The idyllic beach town of Oak Island, North Carolina, is home to one of the longest piers on the East Coast, plus it has beautiful beaches and opportunities for golfing and fishing.

01/08/2023

Enjoy this fabulous video of nearby Southport!

This coastal town begs to be explored by air, land, and sea.Read the full story: https://www.ourstate.com/around-town-southport-north-carolina/Directed by: ...

07/26/2022

This is so exciting! I can't wait to volunteer with this group when I'm on OKI full time!

07/20/2022

Coming soon- a great place off island to check out!! Can't wait until they open!

Located minutes from Downtown Wilmington and The Brunswick Beaches, The Golf Barn will have something for everyone! Compete against family and friends in fun and challenging mini games, play virtual courses, and most importantly, see how far you hit each shot!

06/22/2022

Don't forget our Turtle Talks begin tonight at 5:30 pm at the OKI Recreation Center, 3003 East Oak Island Drive. **IMPORTANT** per the facility use agreement we have with the Rec, we can only have 66 participants in the room for the presentation. We hope we do not have to turn anyone away, but we wanted you to know upfront!!! We hope to see you there!
🐢🐢🐢
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Oak Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 22ST01).**

06/17/2022

It's !

Sea turtles are often seen in and around many coastal parks like Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park. Originally named "Las Tortugas" (Spanish for "The Turtles") by Ponce de Leon in 1513, this collection of small sand and coral islands is famous for the abundance of sea turtles that annually nest in the area.

Five species of sea turtles are found in the waters of south Florida: loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata). These sea turtle species were once abundant; however, all five species are now listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

It is currently nesting season (through October), and we're excited to monitor their activity while protecting their habitat.

Click here to learn more about sea turtles: https://www.nps.gov/drto/learn/nature/sea-turtles.htm

Image: An underwater image of a young sea turtle, pictured at a side angle.

05/23/2022

Happy World Turtle Day! We have 7 nests!!!
Enjoy your day! ❤️🐢❤️🐢❤️

05/09/2022

05/02/2022

A list of some of the new restaurants opening up in our neighborhood this season! So excited and looking forward to trying them!

04/14/2022

Some beach art near our house at 55th street... unknown artist but timely as it is Holy Week

04/11/2022

Many people come for its fantastic beaches, but there are more things to do in Oak Island. This guide covers all attractions, where to stay, and restaurants!