open ocean - the gulf of Mexico

---

As the hatchlings reach the water, they instinctively swim far offshore to find large rafts of floating seaweed where they can hide, feed and grow.  If you are fortunate enough to see this please  do not touch and let them crawl across the sand. This is important  part for the sea-finding behavior and helps them to swim in the correct direction once they reach the water. 

The rafts of seaweeds are named Sargassum from a Portuguese word “little grass”. They can form rafts 3-5 feet deep and cover miles of the surface, both in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Atlantic Ocean.  Many tiny creatures can hide and feed here and these creatures become food for the young turtles.  The seaweed rafts shelter the hatchlings for several years until they are about the size of a dinner plate. They then move closer to the shore to their feeding grounds.  The turtles grow and mature slowly and must survive for 25-30 years until they are mature enough to begin coming back to nest on the beaches.