Surf City surfers help out with final sea turtle release of the season

SURF CITY, NC (WWAY) — With temperatures dropping The staff at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City were hard pressed to get the last bunch of baby turtles to the ocean. So they had the little ones hitch a ride out to sea. Sea turtle hospital staff enlisted the help of local surfers.

Terry Meyer, director of beach operations for the hospital, said they needed help getting

The last bunch of hatchlings from the last two nests on the Surf City beach out to the ocean after the temperatures dropped.

“It’s getting a little chilly out here for sea turtles,” said Meyer. “The air temperature is very cool, it’s cooler than the water temperature so we thought that if they could get a little head start in the water and get into the warmer surface temperatures the better off they’ll be.”

George Howard, one of the surfers who took the turtles out to sea and owner of On Shore Surf Shop in Surf City, says getting come people together to do this was easy and they were happy to be a part of it.

“It’s all about the ocean, we all pretty much live in it so we take care of it,” said Howard. “You either fish or you surf and we surf, and that’s what we do, we live and breathe the ocean. And turtles are basically, if you listen to the Hawaiian lore, they are our brothers and we have to take care of our brothers.”

Six surfers were there lending a helping hand, giving the turtle a better chance at life. Somewhere between 100 and 150 sea turtles were released.