Sea turtles fascinate kids. Fortunately, we have several sea turtle walks or talks offered by various nearby museums/marine science centers including:

Evening Turtle Talks @ Tybee Island Marine Science Center
A 90-minute intro into the lives of sea turtles. Learn about their anatomy and natural adaptions. Then take a stroll on the beach to discuss nesting habitat and conservation efforts. Fee: $10 ($9 members) per participant, kids 3 and younger are free.
Reservations required by 4pm the day of the program.
● All ages welcome. Under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
● This program meets at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
● Observing sea turtles and nests is NOT part of the program.
● Some of the program will be inside, and some will be on the beach.
● Discovery Shop won’t be open during the program; it’s open 10-5 daily.
Regularly scheduled Turtle talks start in late May 2012. To find out the schedule & make a reservation, call 912-786-5917 or toll-free: 866-557-9172

Evening Turtle Talks and Walks by Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head Is.
8 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays starting June 5 2012 through August 2012.
Location given out at time of reservation
An evening lecture and beach walk to educate participants about the threatened loggerhead sea turtle. Presentation given to entire group, then 2 groups of 10 proceed to the beach to examine the nesting habitat and nest sites. No guarantee of turtle sightings. Adult $20/Child $15 (no children younger than 4).
Reservations are required and may be made by calling 843-689-6767 ext 223.

Evening Turtle Walks at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Is.
TURTLE WALK RESERVATIONS CAN BE MADE BY CALLING (912) 635-4444
Explore the beach at night, and learn about the amazing journey of loggerhead sea turtles nesting along the Georgia Coast. These popular programs begin with a 30-45 minute presentation at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center about the natural history of sea turtles, followed by a guided beach tour in search of a nesting turtle.
May 29 – July 31* (*Except July 4th) with two nightly programs at 8:30 and 9:30 P.M. Reservations are required as group size is limited by DNR permit restrictions (25 per group maximum) and programs fill quickly.
FEES
Walk Only:
$6 per person (Members)
$12 per person (Non-members**)
**Price does not include general admission into the Georgia Sea Turtle Center)
COMBO TICKETS:
$16 per person
Includes 1 day general admission to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center & 1 Turtle Walk. Turtle Walks are based on availability and reservations are required due to space limitations.
Additional Information:
* Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Due to the time and nature of these walks,  children be at least 4 years of age.
* During the Turtle Walk presentation the Sea Turtle Center’s hospital area will not be accessible. However, you are welcome to visit the Center during its normal visiting hours with a general admission purchase or combo ticket!
* Seeing a nesting turtle on the beach is not guaranteed. More info here.

Morning Nest Walks by Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island
Offered during hatching season 7-9 AM Sundays, Wednesdays, Saturdays
$6 per person (Members); $12 per person (Non-Members**).
**Price does not include general admission to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center
More info here.

Below is a guest post published on SouthernMamas.com in 2011 by Tybee Island marine scientist/biologist Dr. Joe Richardson. We are republishing it again this spring because it was so popular and helpful. Dr. Richardson leads Tybee Island Beach Ecology Trips . These beach walks are an excellent way to educate your kids and entertain your visitors. Read a list of activities and topics the beach ecology walk covers by clicking here. To book a family, scout, school and tour group beach walk call (912) 596-5362 or email joe@ceasurf.com . For updates regarding what Dr. Joe is finding and doing on his ecology beach walks, check out (and “like”) the “Tybee Beach Ecology Trips” FACEBOOK page by clicking here.

Cannonball Jellyfish are very abundant right now on our beaches, and they are harmless.

The large flat Moon jellyfish will become more common as summer comes, but their sting is mild.

Jellyfish: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not

It’s not unusual to find jellyfish on our beaches, but most of the time the ones we see are harmless and will not sting you. Right now (mid May) the most abundant jellyfish on the beach is the Cannonball Jelly. They are ball-shaped (as opposed to flat), relatively firm, and have a broad reddish-brown band wrapping around an otherwise cloudy white body. The thick structure extending out from under the bell is a system of multiple mouths. Cannonball Jellies do not have stinging tentacles hanging from the bell, so as long as you handle them on the outside of the bell or mouths, there is nothing to sting you. Only if you stick your fingers way up inside the bell could you contact any tiny tentacles, and even then they would give you only a slight tingle. So, don’t mind the Cannonball Jellies – they aren’t going to sting you.

Our common winter-time jellyfish, the Lion’s Mane Jelly, has pretty much finished its season for this year. I haven’t seen any Lion’s Mane Jellies in a few weeks now that the water has warmed up. They are round and fairly flat, and they often have some pink color. Their tentacles are fairly short and form a “hairy-looking” circle of tentacles hanging from the underside of the flat

The Lion's Mane jellyfish is our winter-time jelly and have pretty much disappeared from our beaches now

The Sea Wasp Jellyfish will become a problem in mid July through mid August, and their sting is intense.

jellyfish. This thick circle of short tentacles supposedly resembles the hairy mane around the neck of a male lion. Lion’s Mane Jellies produce a very mild sting; and I personally don’t consider it a “sting” but more of an irritation.

As the water warms into the summer, we will start seeing Moon Jellies. They are very flat, round and clear, and usually have 4 horseshoe shaped structures visible near the center. Moon Jellies have a fringe of short tentacles extending from the very outer edge of their flat body. I’ve seen Moon Jellies on Tybee Island as large as a dinner plate. Moon Jelly tentacles produce a mild sting. It is not really painful, but you know that you have been stung; but it’s not likely going to cause you much discomfort.

It’s during late July and the first couple of weeks of August, on average, that we reach the peak of the Sea Wasp season on Tybee. The Sea Wasp jellyfish are our “bad guys” around here. (We rarely have trouble from floating, blue Portugese Man of War on Tybee, especially compared to some beaches in Florida). But the Sea Wasp jellyfish in late summer do cause us problems. They are clear, and we can’t see them in the water. Although their body is fairly small (2-3 inches), they produce a number of long thin tentacles that extend from 4 hand-like structures that hang from the bottom of their box-shaped body. Even when they are dead and washed up on the beach, Sea Wasp tentacles can still sting. Their sting is an instant intense burning sting, and these stings will make you want to get out of the water and seek some relief. Although the intense pain subsides after a few minutes, the stung area will still hurt a while, and usually some red marks will appear where the tentacles contacted your skin. For me, the stung areas itch for a few days later also.

The above is a guest post by Tybee Island marine scientist/biologist Dr. Joe Richardson, who leads Tybee Island Beach Ecology Trips . These beach walks are an excellent way to educate your kids and entertain your visitors.

Crabbing with kids to catch Carolina Blue Crabs can be comical and tends to require less skill than fishing.

What you need:

a bucket, a crab net (available at any hardware store or bait shop), 10- to 12-feet of sturdy string with a chicken neck attached above a two-ounce sinker.

What to do:

Cut the line about ten to twelve feet, add a sinker, then a chicken neck for bait. Leave the end with the chicken in the water, and patiently wait. You’ll see the crab nibbling on your line. Once the crab grabs, pull the line in with the crab on it and scoop it into the bucket

Where to crab

A pier, sea wall, sea shore, or dock. Crabs will be closer to shore in murky water and a bit farther out in clear water. You can crab from shore if there is no wave action.  Our suggestions include:

Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Harris Neck Road (Highway 131)
Off U.S. Highway 17 between Eulonia and Darien in McIntosh County, GA (From I-95, take Exit 67)
www.fws.gov/harrisneck/

South Beach, Hilton Head Is.
Located at the “toe” of the island near the South Beach marina, is the Calibogue beach. There is no public parking, so it’s best to walk or bike from South Beach Marina parking lot.

Rules

There is a minimum size for “keepers”: five inches wide point to point to keep.  You may not keep a female carrying eggs (an orange spongy mass on their underside).

Rip Current

Rip currents (or rip tides as they are often called) are a top worry now that my two preschoolers are “swimming” regularly at Tybee Island beaches.

Which is why I’m thrilled that Tybee  Island marine scientist/biologist Dr. Joe Richardson, who leads Tybee Island Beach Ecology Trips , agreed to offer some info for SouthernMamas.com on rip current awareness.

This week June 5-11 is Rip Current Awareness Week. Rip currents are strong narrow currents moving away from shore. The strongest rip currents can attain speeds reaching 8 feet per second; this is faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint! On average, more people die every year from rip currents than from shark attacks. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, 80 percent of surf beach rescues are attributed to rip currents, and more than 100 people die annually from drowning in rip currents.

Dr. Joe Richardson recommends checking out the information, graphics, video and other resources on the NOAA Web site by clicking here so you can try to recognize a rip current and teach your kids what to do if caught in one. Click here to go to the Kids Korner Rip Current Safety page.  

Another concern, according to Dr. Joe Richardson, are strong tidal currents, especially at the north and south ends of Tybee Island (ie. North Beach near the jetty, and South Beach from about 17th St. to the south end of the island). 

“These currents can be surprisingly strong, and they don’t move at a constant speed.  At irregular times and places they move faster, so someone noticing that they are gradually drifting along the beach might find that they are suddenly drifting much faster,” said Dr. Joe Richardson. ”This can be extremely dangerous because it might take only a few seconds to suddenly realize that you are too close to the jetty/rocks or the pier to get back to shore or shallow enough water to stand.  I’m afraid that I see this happen too often. And this keeps our lifeguards and ocean rescue people especially busy at the north and south end.”

Read more of Dr. Joe Richardson’s Guest Posts here, including which jellyfish in our local waters sting and which don’t.

Tybee  Island marine scientist/biologist Dr. Joe Richardson, who leads Tybee Island Beach Ecology Trips . These beach walks are an excellent way to educate your kids and entertain your visitors.  Read a list of activities and topics the beach ecology walk covers by clicking here.  To book a family, scout, school and tour group beach walk call (912) 596-5362 or email  joe@ceasurf.com . For updates regarding what Dr. Joe is finding and doing on his ecology beach walks, check out (and “like”) the “Tybee Beach Ecology Trips” FACEBOOK page by clicking here.

Below is a guest post by Tybee  Island marine scientist/biologist Dr. Joe Richardson, who leads Tybee Island Beach Ecology Trips . These beach walks are an excellent way to educate your kids and entertain your visitors.  Read a list of activities and topics the beach ecology walk covers by clicking here.  To book a family, scout, school and tour group beach walk call (912) 596-5362 or email  joe@ceasurf.com . For updates regarding what Dr. Joe is finding and doing on his ecology beach walks, check out (and “like”) the “Tybee Beach Ecology Trips” FACEBOOK page by clicking here.

Cannonball Jellyfish are very abundant right now on our beaches, and they are harmless.

The large flat Moon jellyfish will become more common as summer comes, but their sting is mild.

Jellyfish: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not

It’s not unusual to find jellyfish on our beaches, but most of the time the ones we see are harmless and will not sting you. Right now (mid May) the most abundant jellyfish on the beach is the Cannonball Jelly. They are ball-shaped (as opposed to flat), relatively firm, and have a broad reddish-brown band wrapping around an otherwise cloudy white body. The thick structure extending out from under the bell is a system of multiple mouths. Cannonball Jellies do not have stinging tentacles hanging from the bell, so as long as you handle them on the outside of the bell or mouths, there is nothing to sting you. Only if you stick your fingers way up inside the bell could you contact any tiny tentacles, and even then they would give you only a slight tingle. So, don’t mind the Cannonball Jellies – they aren’t going to sting you.

Our common winter-time jellyfish, the Lion’s Mane Jelly, has pretty much finished its season for this year. I haven’t seen any Lion’s Mane Jellies in a few weeks now that the water has warmed up. They are round and fairly flat, and they often have some pink color. Their tentacles are fairly short and form a “hairy-looking” circle of tentacles hanging from the underside of the flat

The Lion's Mane jellyfish is our winter-time jelly and have pretty much disappeared from our beaches now

The Sea Wasp Jellyfish will become a problem in mid July through mid August, and their sting is intense.

jellyfish. This thick circle of short tentacles supposedly resembles the hairy mane around the neck of a male lion. Lion’s Mane Jellies produce a very mild sting; and I personally don’t consider it a “sting” but more of an irritation.

As the water warms into the summer, we will start seeing Moon Jellies. They are very flat, round and clear, and usually have 4 horseshoe shaped structures visible near the center. Moon Jellies have a fringe of short tentacles extending from the very outer edge of their flat body. I’ve seen Moon Jellies on Tybee Island as large as a dinner plate. Moon Jelly tentacles produce a mild sting. It is not really painful, but you know that you have been stung; but it’s not likely going to cause you much discomfort.

It’s during late July and the first couple of weeks of August, on average, that we reach the peak of the Sea Wasp season on Tybee. The Sea Wasp jellyfish are our “bad guys” around here. (We rarely have trouble from floating, blue Portugese Man of War on Tybee, especially compared to some beaches in Florida). But the Sea Wasp jellyfish in late summer do cause us problems. They are clear, and we can’t see them in the water. Although their body is fairly small (2-3 inches), they produce a number of long thin tentacles that extend from 4 hand-like structures that hang from the bottom of their box-shaped body. Even when they are dead and washed up on the beach, Sea Wasp tentacles can still sting. Their sting is an instant intense burning sting, and these stings will make you want to get out of the water and seek some relief. Although the intense pain subsides after a few minutes, the stung area will still hurt a while, and usually some red marks will appear where the tentacles contacted your skin. For me, the stung areas itch for a few days later also.

The above is a guest post by Tybee  Island marine scientist/biologist Dr. Joe Richardson, who leads Tybee Island Beach Ecology Trips . These beach walks are an excellent way to educate your kids and entertain your visitors.