PONTIKI JUPITER – CELEBRATE WORLD TURTLE DAY
05/16/2022
Pontiki Jupiter – Celebrate World Turtle Day
Loggerhead, Gopher, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Yellow Bellies — salute all types of turtles May 23 with LOVE STREET OUTDOOR CENTER to mark World Turtle Day.
The American Tortoise Rescue in Malibu, CA. started World Turtle Day in 1990. The non-profit organization’s mission is to protect turtles, and stop the exploitation of them for food and the illegal sale of turtles.
Check out these 5 places to see turtles with LOVE STREET OUTDOOR CENTER.
JUPITER INLET WATERWAYS
Stylish ands swift may not come to mind when you ponder sea turtles.
But you may change your thinking after spotting them swimming like ballerinas in the pristine Jupiter Inlet waterways.
Elise, Renee or another one of our boat captains will take you on a relaxing 30- or 60-minute adventure cruise departing and returning to the dock at Charlie & Joe’s on Love Street on a boat cruise with Pontiki Jupiter.
Whether searching for seagrass or coming up for a breath of fresh air, the turtles are an entertaining sight on your Pontiki Jupiter adventure.
To register, click here.
CATO’S BRIDGE
Sea turtles are part of the colorful underwater crowd when you float under the bridge on your Pontiki Jupiter adventure.
Eels, lobsters, stone crab, angel fish, parrotfish, tropicals, lionfish, groupers, snappers, hog snapper, shrimp, crabs, rays, turtles, octopus and squid are regulars in the swift-moving waters. Cato’s — named after a longtime bridgetender — is a regular stop for local divers and snorkelers.
But back to sea turtles.
You’ll notice they go for food that has bright colors, like green grass, orangish stone crab and red lobster.
TURTLE COVE
A guided tour in a stand-up paddle board or kayak with LOVE STREET OUTDOOR CENTER is a fabulous way to check out sea turtles.
Your adventure begins at Sawfish Bay, where we will deliver watercraft, life vests and paddles. We’ll head out to the beautiful Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and paddle toward DuBois Park. Along the way, your tour guides will point out the many juvenile fish hiding from predators in the thick mangroves along the shore.
Turtle Cove, located off DuBois Park, is a local hangout for the shelled creatures. Don’t be surprised if you see one surface right next to you or swim right by on your Pontiki Jupiter adventure.
Ask about a tour to Fullerton Island, a 12-acre wildlife-packed oasis for manatees, great blue herons, sea turtles and tropical fish. No power boats are allowed inside the island, which is just a short paddle from Sawfish Bay.
RIVERBEND PARK
“River of Turtles” – guess why the Seminoles tagged that name to the Loxahatchee River, the waterway that winds through beautiful Riverbend Park near Jupiter?
A kayak or canoe adventure on the curly river, shaded by towering cypress trees on both sides, will quickly give you the answer.
Yogalike, the turtles with the bright yellow stripes on their bellies and ears stretch out their arms and legs on logs. Eyes just above the waterline, they silently watch you paddle by, then slink below the surface if you paddle too close. They loaf along the shore. They sunbathe on fallen trees.
JUPITER OUTDOOR CENTER will set you up for a one-hour or all-day tour. Take a guide with you or paddle out on your own adventure.
JUPITER OUTDOOR CENTER also rents bicycles for the miles of crushed shell paths through Riverbend Park.
Set up your tour here.
JUNO PIER
We’re in the midst of sea turtle nesting season, which runs between March 1 and October 31. That means lights out on the beach so not to disturb mother turtles laying their cue ball-sized eggs and the hatchlings that appear about two months later and waddle to the sea.
Perched above the waves crashing below, the 990-foot-long Juno Beach Pier is a fun place to look out for sea turtles. Nests are marked with pink or yellow tape to warn people to stay away.
The pier, operated by Loggerhead Marinelife Center and located on A1A just north of Donald Ross Road, is open daily from 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. A store at the foot of the pier has fishing gear and snacks. Parking along A1A and in Juno Beach Park is free.
TURTLE TERMINOLGY
Carapace- Upper portion of a turtle’s shell made up of bones and keratinous plates, called scutes
Ghost nets – Fishing net that has been lost in the ocean.
Hatchling – First stage of a sea turtle’s life; all stages of a sea turtle’s life are determined by an international standard of the length of their carapace.
Juvenile – Third stage of a sea turtle’s life, which they reach after post-hatchling, at this phase of their life, juvenile turtles tend to spend time in nearshore habitats; all stages of a sea turtle’s life are determined by an international standard of the length of their carapace
Light pollution – Presence of artificial man-made light.
