VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — A Volusia County lifeguard saved a tiny sea turtle after it got stranded in the sand on its first trip to the ocean.
Beach Safety lifeguard Hailey Monahan said she came to the hatchling’s aid on Wednesday.
“We’ve had over 1,700 nesting locations on our beach, so we have expected a pretty big washback season,” she said.
Monahan said “washbacks” leave sea turtles stuck on the shore.
“A surf, it pushes the little sea turtles that are maybe not as strong as the other ones, and they may be sick,” she said.
Monahan said she found the hatchling after it fell victim to a washback and scooped it up from the sand.
She said she took the baby turtle to the Marine Science Center “to get rehabilitated and put back out into the ocean.”
The hatchling named Suncrush by the staff, will soon be back where it belongs.
The rescue highlights Volusia County lifeguards’ ability to wear a few different hats.
“We’ve got multiple jobs here,” Monahan said. “We watch the water; we also keep in touch with all the wildlife, the sea turtles, the birds, all that stuff.”
With weeks still remaining in the nesting season, Monahan advised on what to do when encountering a baby sea turtle.
“We don’t want people just touching them with their bare hands,” she said. “So, if you see a sea turtle, please just leave it on the sand.”
Another thing to do when spotting a sea turtle stuck on the shore or water is to give it space and flag down the nearest lifeguard to let them know.
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