Turtle Watch volunteers find evidence of a tangled turtle

Longboat Key Turtle Watch volunteers on Tuesday morning discovered tracks in the sand, leading to the Gulf of Mexico, that indicated a seat turtle likely became entangled in a beach lounge chair and dragged it into the surf -- and possibly farther.

Turtle Watch president Tim Thurman said he found evidence of the incident in the 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive on Tuesday morning. The turtle's typical flipper marks in the sand were accompanied by solid furrows, indicating the chair stuck over the animal and was dragged along into the gulf. The turtle's incoming tracks appeared normal, Thurman said. 

Sea turtles come up the beach at night to nest from May to October, and the town of Longboat Key has an ordinance stating that "temporary structures and portable recreational equipment" must be off the beach from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.  during nesting season.

Despite the ordinance, turtles still encounter chairs and other obstacles on the beach. Turtles encounter chairs every year, but it's unusual for them to not get free before going back to the water. 

"It's not that rare for a turtle to encounter a chair," Thurman said. "It's rare for them to drag it into the Gulf." 

Thurman, who walks the beach twice a week for Longboat Key Turtle Watch, said he has never seen a turtle actually take a chair back to the water. Members of the group spread word on Tuesday about the incident, alerting them to keep their eyes open for a stricken turtle.  Members of the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium's Stranding Investigations team were also alerted. 

In July 2017, a series of similar entanglements with beach furniture were documented by Mote over the course of a week on Longboat Key. In two of the three cases, investigators determined the turtle likely released itself before swimming away. In the third, the chair was never found. 

If you see stranded turtles, call Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 941-988-0212.