White sands, Lush maritime forest, and estuaries teeming with life dot the coastline of South Carolina.

These are barrier islands.

Fragile ecosystems that provide a crucial buffer of protection for the mainland.

They are is vital as they are dynamic, changing with the ebb and flow of the tides.

They also set the stage for one of the most spectacular journeys in the animal kingdom.

An enduring pilgrimage.

Written in scattered markings left behind on the sand.

Here, a cycle that has endured for over 100 million years holds on to a promise, a promise of resilience, survival and the future.

And to safeguard these remarkable animals, one of the state's largest conservation network stands watch.

Those who don't mind digging in the sand, dedicated to recovery science and determined to make a difference in the wild.

South Carolina's coastline is home to four species of sea turtles the green, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, and the most common, the loggerhead.

Recognized as the state reptile in 1988, the loggerhead is identified by its massive block like head, a feature that gives the species its name.

Their powerful jaws are built to crush hard shell prey such as horseshoe crabs, whelks, and other bottom dwelling invertebrates.

Loggerheads are considered a keystone species, vital to the balance of marine and coastal ecosystems.

By consuming hard shelled invertebrates, they regulate prey populations and help maintain the health of the ocean floor.

Their foraging supports reef systems by preventing overgrowth while crushing the shells, accelerates nutrient recycling across the seafloor.

They even carry entire miniature ecosystems on their shells, including barnacles and other invertebrates, some of which are specialized species only found on sea turtles.

When the time comes to nest, a female loggerhead emerges from the surf under the cover of night.

Using her back flippers, she carves a chamber about two feet deep, then slips into a trance like state called torpor as she deposits roughly 120 eggs each no larger than a ping pong ball.

For approximately 55 days, the eggs incubate in the sand.

Like other reptiles, loggerhead sea turtles have temperature dependent sex determination, meaning the temperature of the nest determines whether the hatchlings will become male or female.

At last, the nest erupts as dozens of tiny turtles emerge together and instinctively race toward the surf.

On the beach, they face predators like ghost crabs and laughing gulls.

But these dangers are only the beginning.

Once in the water, each hatchling will have to swim nearly 50 miles, a journey that can take up to three days before reaching the Gulf Stream, where they'll have food and shelter.

Loggerhead sea turtles are listed as federally threatened, their survival challenged by both natural pressures and anthropogenic threats.

On South Carolina's coastline, predators such as coyotes, raccoons, and ghost crabs predate nests.

Erosion and coastal development steadily shrink and fragment the very habitat turtles depend on.

Human activity compounds these risks.

Plastics drift through the ocean.

Fishing gear and nets entangle unsuspecting turtles.

Bright beachfront lighting and sky glow disorients hatchlings, recreational equipment and non-native vegetation obstruct nesting mothers and dredging, pollution and poaching.

add further strain.

Taken together, these pressures threaten not only the survival of a species, but the fragile balance of an entire coastal ecosystem.

For more than four decades, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has kept a steady watch at Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, tracking nesting trends to answer the most important questions: Is the nesting population growing and how many hatchlings make it to the sea?

Each survey day begins before dawn, but first, the team must get to the beach.

Turtle techs ride out across marshland habitat and through maritime forest on ATVs to reach the shore.

Once on the scene, they begin a careful search for crawls, signs that a mother has come ashore to nest.

When a crawl is discovered, biologists and technicians first determine whether it's a false crawl or a true nest.

Using field signs and a probe, they carefully locate the egg chamber.

Each nest, along with its data, is recorded in a central database to track long term trends.

ID numbers are written on a PVC pole at every site, and each is given an extra layer of protection with a metal cage to reduce predation.

Nest laid in vulnerable locations are carefully relocated to areas with a higher chance of successful incubation.

At times, staff arrive to find a nest already raided by coyotes.

Predated eggs are counted while any viable ones are moved to safety.

From each confirmed nest.

A single egg is collected and sent where maternal DNA is analyzed.

This genetic fingerprinting identifies the individual turtle that nests on the island, and after nearly 15 years of research, more than 8500 female loggerheads have been cataloged along the South Carolina coast.

Three days after a nest has shown signs of emergence, staff carefully excavate counting hatched and unhatched eggs, noting any deceased hatchlings and rescuing any live animals that fail to emerge.

Every outcome is meticulously recorded until each nest on South Island has been accounted for.

Across the rest of the coast other organizations and volunteers reinforce this work and furnish the hands and eyes that make rapid response possible.

Since 1981, South Carolina's Nest Protection Volunteer Network has grown into a coastal force of more than 1500 trained volunteers, working alongside biologists to safeguard nests from the remote barrier islands to the busiest beaches.

Six index beaches provide long term data, while dedicated teams ensure that every shoreline is monitored for nesting activity.

Thanks to these efforts, more than 276,000 hatchlings made it to the ocean in 2024 alone.

And over the past decade, that number has swelled to more than 3.5 million.

25 years ago, the South Carolina Aquarium, in partnership with and permitted through SCDNR, formalized a dedicated care program that now receives injured and sick turtles from across the state.

When a stranded or injured sea turtle is found, DNR is notified.

Volunteers and staff collect data and transport the patient to the Sea Turtle Care Center at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.

The center is a state of the art rehabilitation facility that provides medical triage, surgery, diagnostic imaging, enrichment, and long term care.

The Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery Exhibit, opened in 2017, allows visitors to see the rehabilitation process firsthand.

Guests can check tank status on screens and follow patient updates on an onsite blog, making recovery both transparent Once the turtle is medically cleared and rehabilitated, it is released as soon as conditions permit, often in a community celebration.

The future of South Carolina's sea turtles depends on a coast wide effort from researchers to rescuers.

Each plays a part in keeping these ancient travelers on their timeless path.

Along these coasts, wild stories are still being written in the sand.