On September 16, Huntington Beach Fire Department Marine Safety lifeguards got a call near Surfside about a sea turtle that might be injured. When they arrived, the turtle was not hurt. She was laying eggs, and the lifeguards worked with Seal Beach lifeguards to protect the spot. Three days later, on September 19, HB lifeguards answered another sighting, this time near the Huntington Beach Pier, and found a second turtle nesting.
NOAA Fisheries calls the Seal Beach-area nest the first recorded nest for any sea turtle species on the U.S. West Coast. Until this September, the closest known olive ridley nesting site was near Todos Santos, in the western Cape region of Baja California.
That story is the obvious headline. It also explains the rest of Huntington Beach's fall. The warm water and heavy surf that brought those turtles here have been setting the town's waterfront dates since June, and the two biggest events on the pier's calendar now fall within a few weeks of each other.
The Turtle by the Pier Was Not the Same Turtle
Early coverage left open whether one turtle made both nests. NOAA later answered that. Dr. Cali Turner Tomaszewicz, a research biologist at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, compared the two turtles' body shape, barnacle placement and scute pattern. The scutes are the large plates on the shell, and their layout works like a fingerprint. She concluded they were two different animals.
Two females changes the outlook. NOAA notes that an olive ridley usually nests two or three times a season, about two weeks apart and in the same general area, and the agency says it is watching for more nests. The olive ridley season in Mexico runs from about July to December.
NOAA says no one knows for certain why the turtles came to Orange County. It names warm sea surface temperatures from ongoing marine heatwaves and the incoming 2027 El Niño as likely key factors.
The Same Surf That Moved the Eggs Moved the Race
The original plan was to leave both nests on the beach to hatch naturally. That changed when Hurricane Odalys began sending surf north and Hurricane Polo, which the Orange County Register described as one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades, was forecast to hit southeast-facing beaches during a stretch of high tides. Officials expected waves around 6 feet that could wash over the berms.
Months earlier, that kind of ocean had already moved one of Huntington Beach's oldest traditions. The 75th Annual Pier Swim was scheduled for June and was rescheduled because of high surf, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The same article notes that Newport Beach's Pier to Pier Swim on July 19 and the Oceanside Pier Swim in September both washed out. The city calendar now shows the swim on Saturday, October 31, at 7 a.m.
Here is how the season has played out on the sand:
- June: The 75th Annual Pier Swim is pushed back because of high surf.
- September 16: A turtle nests near Surfside and Seal Beach.
- September 19: A second turtle nests near the Huntington Beach Pier, about 8 miles away.
- September 25: Two teams leave at 6 a.m. and dig up 204 eggs, 100 from Huntington Beach and 104 from Seal Beach, then take them to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
- October 31, 7 a.m.: The Pier Swim takes place.
- Early November: The eggs could hatch, if they are viable.
What Is Happening in the Aquarium's Back Room
Crews packed the eggs in sand-filled Styrofoam coolers. Officials said the coolers could help absorb shock and hold in moisture. They now sit in a quiet, private area of the Aquarium of the Pacific's Molina Animal Care Center, where staff monitor temperature and humidity. The eggs are incubating at about 80 degrees, which veterinarian Dr. Lance Adams described as a middle ground between the low 70s and high 80s they would see in the wild. On the morning of the dig, the sand was between 75 and 76 degrees.
The eggs are being kept in private quarters, away from public view. No one yet knows whether the eggs will hatch. In natural conditions, olive ridley hatch rates can run above 80 to 90 percent, but an incubator brings many unknowns. Adams told the Long Beach Post:
"We may find that these eggs are not fertilized and none of them develop. We are not going to know until the full incubation period of those eggs is done."
As of NOAA's October 3 update, whether the eggs were fertilized or viable was still unknown. Incubation usually takes 45 to 60 days. If the eggs hatch, the plan is to release the hatchlings at night on the beaches where they were laid. NOAA also notes that adult females tend to return to the area where they hatched. About 15 years after hatching, some of them come back to nest on their birth beach. For the eggs from the September 19 nest, that birth beach is the sand near the Huntington Beach Pier.
If You See a Turtle on the Sand
With NOAA watching for more nests, a beach walk near the pier this fall could turn up a third one. Sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA asks people not to disturb turtles, nests, hatchlings, fencing or signs. To report a sighting:
- Call the West Coast Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline at 562-506-4315. It is staffed 24 hours a day.
- Tell the nearest lifeguard, or use NOAA's online reporting form.
- Keep a safe distance. Neither NOAA nor the Aquarium has published a specific distance in feet.
The first report this season came from someone who thought a turtle was hurt. That call is how the West Coast's first recorded nest was found.
Halloween Morning Belongs to the Pier Swim
This year the swim lands on Halloween, but its traditions are older than its date. The Orange County Register reported that lifeguard Gene Belshe started it in 1950 as a children's race. Swimmers run into the surf, swim around the pier and bodysurf to the finish. In past years the course started on the north side of the pier, which is about 1,850 feet long. A 2007 report called the race a half-mile.
At the 73rd swim, entrants ranged from 12 years old to over 65. The city's Community and Library Services department organized it, and Marine Safety lifeguards covered the water. Registration terms, fees and age divisions for the 2026 race have not been published in anything we found. Check the city calendar before planning a start.
The Weeks Between the Swim and the Hatch Window
The ocean schedule overlaps with a land schedule that is just as tied to dates. Here is what runs from late October into November, from Visit Huntington Beach and the city:
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Through November 2 | Pete's Spookeasy, a Halloween takeover of Pete's Sunset Grille | Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach |
| Through November 8 | 49th annual Oktoberfest | Old World Village |
| October 22 to January 2 | Pier Summit Ski Lodge, an 1980s-themed pop-up bar | Kimpton Shorebreak Resort |
| October 29, 5 p.m. | Library-Wide Halloween Trick-or-Treat | City libraries |
| October 31, 7 a.m. | 75th Annual Pier Swim | Huntington Beach Pier |
| Every Tuesday, 5 to 9 p.m. | Surf City Nights street fair and farmers market | First three blocks of Main Street |
Downtown, a block off Main, there is a newer stop for a post-swim meal. Pasta Viva opened August 29 at 303 3rd Street, Unit 130. It serves fresh pasta and focaccia sandwiches, including a signature Cheese Wheel Pasta. The Kickstand Soda Shop, a soda fountain built around dirty sodas, announced a downtown opening for October 9. Check that it is open before going. Further out, Huntington's on the Pier is planned for 2027, halfway down the pier, with surfing livestreamed inside from the water below.
Pete's Spookeasy closes November 2, Oktoberfest ends November 8, and the Aquarium's early November hatch window sits between those dates. If the eggs hatch, the release will happen at night on the sand near the pier, a few weeks after swimmers round it on Halloween morning.
The McGuire Team keeps track of Huntington Beach's fall the way people who live near the water do, date by date. If you'd like to talk through what the coast looks like from your own street, Contact Us.
