Two olive ridley sea turtles have laid eggs on beaches in Orange County, California, marking the first documented natural sea turtle nesting on the U.S. West Coast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that two separate turtles were involved in the nesting events, which took place in September 2026.
Olive ridley sea turtles are typically found in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, with major Pacific nesting grounds located in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. While the species is occasionally seen off the California coast when water temperatures rise, officials from NOAA stated there had been no previous record of the turtles nesting in the area.
One turtle was observed digging a nest at Surfside Beach near the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge on September 16, 2026. A few days later, another turtle was spotted near the Huntington Beach Pier. Although initially suspected to be the same animal, NOAA Fisheries West Coast confirmed they were two different individuals based on expert analysis of body shapes and shell patterns. The nesting sites have been roped off and fenced to protect the eggs during their incubation.
The nesting affects local beachgoers and wildlife management teams in Orange County, who must now monitor and protect the species in an area where they do not typically breed. Under the Endangered Species Act, these turtles are federally protected, and the public is advised to avoid disturbing the nests. The presence of these nests requires local, state, and federal agencies to coordinate monitoring for a period of 45 to 60 days, during which sections of public beaches will remain restricted.
The scale of this event involves two confirmed nests, each typically containing an average of 100 eggs. Jeffrey Seminoff, leader of the Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program at NOAA, noted that while green turtles are common in California's coastal waters, nesting behavior is a new development for the region. Scientists are investigating whether this is a one-time anomaly or a long-term range expansion. Jeff Flocken, president and CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific, stated that if the eggs hatch successfully, the hatchlings may eventually return to these same California beaches to nest in the future.
A person living near Seal Beach or Huntington Beach will notice physical barriers and interpretive signage at the nest sites through the incubation period. The shift in behavior is largely attributed to exceptionally warm ocean temperatures driven by a "super El Niño" weather pattern, which has created quasi-tropical habitats off the coast. Other factors, such as shifting wave directions, storm activity, or malfunctions in the turtles' internal navigation systems, are also being considered as possible causes. An interagency team will continue to monitor the sites until the incubation period concludes.