Topsail Beach NC - Sea Turtle Hospital

Come learn about the sea turtle and visit The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. This magical facility is run solely on donations of time and money, and is staffed by volunteers led by Jean Beasley. Jean is our Surf Camp "Angel", her dedication and enthusiasm for the rehabilitation and public education of the sea turtle is unmatched. A portion of your tuition is donated directly to help run this facility.

The earliest known sea turtle fossils are about 150 million years old. In groups too numerous to count, they once navigated throughout the world's oceans. But in just the past 100 years, demand for turtle meat, eggs, skin and colorful shells has dwindled their populations.

Destruction of feeding and nesting habitats and pollution of the world’s oceans are all taking a serious toll on remaining sea turtle populations.

The factors causing their decline has serious implications for countless marine animals as well as our own species. As early as the 1950s, Dr. Archie Carr was alarmed about declining populations of the sea turtle and viewed them as the coastal and marine equivalent of a miner’s canary. Just as the declining health of a caged canary warned miners that the mine was no longer safe, collapsing sea turtle populations are telling us that the oceans and coastlines are in trouble. As surfers, the sea turtle is our canary, warning us that our coastal habitats are in serious trouble.

Each participant of our overnight Surf Camp will be part of our private tour. You will get a chance to meet Jean and her staff and hear incredible stories about every sea turtle in the hospital. You will also learn about their daily schedule which includes morning food and vitamin preparation, feeding, followed by draining, cleaning and refilling each tank. Sounds like a lot of work, you bet! Look one of the injured sea turtles in the eye, and you will remember the experience forever.

For more information about the sea turtle visit: www.seaturtlehospital.org