Photo by TarikB on Flickr

Boca Raton may be in the center of a densely developed urban area, but every night in the summer, an ancient natural ritual occurs on its beaches – huge sea turtles lumber onto the sand and lay eggs.

The turtles have returned to these beaches for thousands of years, and witnessing this National Geographic moment is a thrill for anyone, especially kids.

As a result, there is another Boca ritual every spring – reserving your spot on a sea-turtle walk at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Getting a chance to see a sea turtle in action takes some doing, but it’s a memorable experience.

At Gumbo Limbo,  a sea turtle walk begins at 9 p.m. in a classroom at the environmental-education center, 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. Spotters scan the beach for a turtle emerging from the water to nest.  If one is found – and there are no guarantees -  visitors are led to a spot on the beach where a sea turtle is digging a hole a foot or two deep with her hind flippers.

The turtle then starts filling the nest with soft-shelled eggs the size of ping-pong balls.  After laying, she re-fills the nest with sand and heads back into the ocean. The whole process takes 30 to 60 minutes. The program ends by 11 p.m. on the beach.

Of course, Gumbo Limbo can’t ensure a turtle will be nesting during your talk – most years, half the walks do not result in witnessing a nesting turtle.  So be prepared to learn a lot about turtle nesting and to maybe see it yourself.  Because of the late hour and the patience required, this program is limited to children age 8 or older.

If you want a guaranteed turtle experience, then reserve a spot starting July 14 for a sea-turtle hatchling release.  This 90-minute program is open to even the youngest kids, who get to cheer on the tiny turtles as they scramble into the surf. It begins in the Gumbo Limbo classroom and ends on the beach.

Ticket information for sea-turtle nesting walks:

• 9 p.m. May 24 and May 31 (Thursdays); every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night in June; and July 3 and 5 (Tuesday and Thursday)
• $15 per person. There is a limit of six tickets per person.
• Tickets, on sale now, must be purchased in person. These walks always sell out, so make reservations as soon as possible.
• Turtle walk information from the Gumbo Limbo website.
• For more information: 561-338-1473

Ticket information for sea-turtle hatchling releases:

• 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday evenings from July 23 to Aug. 16; 7:30 p.m. Monday to Thursdays from  Aug. to Sept. 6. (There is no program on Labor Day, Sept. 3).
• General ticket sales begin July 14 and must be purchased in person. There is a limit of six tickets per person.
• Turtle hatchling release information from the Gumbo Limbo website.

There are several other beaches where you can go on turtle walks, and some are located in areas where the odds are better of seeing an actual nesting turtle.  Like Gumbo Limbo, these programs fill up fast.

Here’s a guide to other sea turtle walks in Florida from Florida Rambler: Things to do in Florida’s outdoors.

Locations for these turtle walks  that are easily accessed from Boca include John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Dania Beach,  the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, John D. MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach and Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach.

Further up the coast, the turtle walks might make a good anchor for weekend trip to Melbourne Beach,  Jensen Beach,  Hobe Sound or Titusville.

- BONNIE GROSS, FloridaRambler.com

The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s annual Sea Turtle Day is March 3.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes environmentally friendly vendors, a performance by Sol Children Theatre Troupe, arts and crafts, guided strolls and more.

You can also see the new tanks. Gumbo Limbo hopes to have at least one of them filled for the event.

Read more and get a full schedule at GumboLimbo.org.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was originally posted on June 27, 2010.

This one is for the ultimate Boca moms: The 300-pound sea turtles who return to our beaches — where they likely were born 20-25 years before — to lay their eggs every summer.

If you haven’t taken the awesome opportunities offered by the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to get a glimpse of these big mamas, and their babies, you are missing out.

BocaParent went along on one of last week’s turtle walks. And while we didn’t get to see a mama leatherback, loggerhead or green turtle come to nest, we did get to help release a hatchling that had come out of its shell that morning.

The moon was full when the little leatherback was released onto the sand at the north end of Red Reef park. It only took a moment for it to get oriented and start moving its little flippers toward the sea.

From there, it likely swam as hard as it could for a day or two till it reached a big seaweed patch in the ocean, where it would stay awhile to grow. 

There is no guarantee you’ll see a nesting turtle in the two-hour window scheduled for the walk. But while you’re waiting for the spotter to patrol the beach,  you’ll get a presentation on the endangered sea turtles and the local efforts to protect them.

Here are some facts from David Anderson’s talk:

• The mama turtles lay 50-100 eggs at a time. They hatch 55-75 days later.

• A mama turtle usually nests six or seven times a summer – usually on the same beach where she was hatched.

• The “sky glow” from city lights causes the hatchlings to go the wrong way when they hatch. Turtle workers sometimes find them all the way across A1A and into condo pools.

• Condo buildings help block the glow; Boca has strict lighting restrictions on condos. So the beach around them are good nesting spots. Especially the North Addison and South Addison buildings near the inlet.

• Sometimes people take the wooden stakes from around the turtle nests to build a bonfire. Not only does that leave the nests unprotected, but the hatchlings will crawl right into the fire.

• Foxes and raccoons are the biggest predators. Don’t feed them!

• Long-line fishing is also endangering the turtles. For a guide to ocean-friendly seafood, visit blueocean.org.

The turtle walks ($10) run 9 to 11 p.m. on certain nights, recommended for kids 8 and up. Bring your patience and be prepared for disappointment. So far this year, only about half the walks have spotted nesting turtle. (Call Gumbo Limbo to see which dates are still available: 561-338-1473).

Starting July 17, Gumbo Limbo will be selling tickets ($10) to the hatchling releases. You can go along as they turn loose the baby turtles and watch them scurry into the ocean. These tickets sell out fast. (UPDATE 7/07: Gumbo Limbo tells us these tickets sell out in a matter of minutes, with people lining up to buy them as early as 6:30 a.m.) If you buy a membership by July 9, you may be able to get the tickets through a presale.

Gumbo Limbo needs the support. The center, which opened a turtle rehabilitation center in January, was overrun with turtles hurt by the unusually harsh winter. It still has four patients, though one is expected to be released this week.

Read more about sea turtles and other nature programs at Gumbo Limbo’s website.