08/01/2026
What is a False Crawl?
For sea turtles, a false crawl takes place when a female turtle leaves the ocean to lay a nest but does not end up doing so. There are many reasons this can happen, including sand characteristics, lighting, obstructions, and people.
It takes a lot of energy for a sea turtle to crawl out of the ocean and make a nest, so false crawls can impact on nesting success. As you can see from this picture, a female turtle crawled in many different directions before deciding to return to the ocean without laying a nest. N.E.S.T. volunteers have observed ~35 false crawls so far this season.
We can help female sea turtles out by making sure lights facing the beach are sea turtle-friendly (amber lighting) or are turned out in the evening, sand holes are filled in, and beach chairs, tents, and toys are removed from the beach daily.
If you do see a sea turtle on the sand, please move away from the turtle and call the N.E.S.T. Hotline at (252) 441-8622. We know it is tempting to take photos or to show the turtle to others with lights, but both can startle the turtle and cause it to false crawl!
This conservation work for protected sea turtles in the northern Outer Banks is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit )
Click here to find out about upcoming events involving N.E.S.T. - https://www.nestobx.org/events
