If you haven’t heard the term “false crawl” in relation to sea turtle nesting, it is an important sign of the struggles a mama sea turtle encounters when trying to find a nesting site. As a beachgoer, you can help ensure we keep visiting mama sea turtles safe and feeling secure about laying their nest.
A False Crawl occurs when the Mama Sea Turtle crawls up a beach but decides to turn around and head back into the ocean. It’s a clear indicator that “something” about the location is not right and not satisfactory to her. Sometimes there’s not enough beach to climb to find an adequate nest location, other times it’s a predator (coyote, fox, and especially and unfortunately – dogs).
And disappointingly, and even more common in recent years, is HUMAN INTERFERENCE. The 2025 season resulted in a record number of false crawls not just at Caswell Beach, but across the state of North Carolina. All beaches are seeing record numbers of visitors, many who are unware of sea turtles and the protections in place for them. It is a violation of Federal Sea Turtle Protection Laws to harrass or interfere with sea turtles. Beachgoers should maintain a MINIMUM DISTANCE of 20 feet from any turtle, and never shine lights on or near a turtle.
A major part of the role for Caswell Beach Turtle Watch is to educate the community about sea turtles, the NC Sea Turtle Project, federal and state regulations, and working together to support the protection and preservation of these precious threatened creatures.
Everyone loves experiencing the natural miracle of a mama sea turtle or sea turtling hatchlings emerging from their nest. But here’s the important point. We would have more turtles and more nests if we can reduce the false crawls. We want our sea turtle mamas to feel safe and welcome on our beaches, so we can all enjoy these natural wonders.
More importantly, it’s our job at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch to document every sea turtle mama, whether she stays to nest, or leaves with only that false crawl to mark her visit. Here’s just some of what we do:
- If we are able to get to the mama sea turtle in time, we can check her for tags or chips, so we can document if she is a known turtle or new in our database.
- We document the crawl width and assess all crawls for sea turtle species (Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, etc.)
- We assess the crawl for any anomalies or possible health issues potentially affecting the turtle (flipper or carapace damage, barnacles, etc.)
YOU CAN HELP! If you see a sea turtle mama coming onto the beach and and attempting to nest, please call our hotline immediately (910-368-6323) to notify us. During sea turtle season, we monitor 24/7. Please educate your family, friends, neighbors and especially – your renters. ALWAYS feel free to reach out to us if there is a concern, or you have questions. (All contact info is at the top of the page.)
PLEASE PRINT AND SHARE our Sea Turtle Info Sheet below. If you own a rental or are a renter, please post this for visitors to see. Greater education and understanding will lead to more happy and healthy sea turtles gracing our beaches. Every little bit helps!
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 26ST03).
Please consider donating to our efforts as we build up our necessary resources for the season.
You can donate at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch Donations.