August 19, 2025

Two Great Opportunities to Dive Into Fun and Conservation with the Aquarium!

Name the 2025 Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchlings and Join a Back-to-School Beach Cleanup

They're Here & They Need Names!

We're excited to share that we have loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings in the house this fall. One hatchling came from Fort Fisher and one from Carolina Beach. These hatchlings did not make the initial trek to the ocean during the nest hatching.

Aquarium team members and sea turtle volunteers excavate the nests 72 hours after a hatching which sometimes yields live hatchlings. Every fall, NCAFF welcomes two of these hatchlings as ambassadors in the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Conservation habitat.

Hatchling #1

Laid on Carolina Beach May 22
Nest Hatched July 18
Nest Excavation July 21
Tenacious, likes to eat, and is very active in the behind-the-scenes habitat.

Hatchling #2

Laid on Fort Fisher May 31
Nest Hatched July 25
Nest Excavated July 28
Timid, eating well and prefers spending more time under the surface in the behind-the-scenes habitat.

Get Your School Spirit On & Head to the Beach

Hosted by the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and the Town of Kure Beach, the 2025 Back-to-School Beach Cleanup is Saturday, August 23, 2025, 8-10 a.m. at Ocean Front Park. Show your spirit for your school and the ocean by heading to the beach for this second annual cleanup.

Map It