Three Sea Turtles to be Released Friday on Folly Beach

September 2, 2014

9:38 PM

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One of Charleston's best family-friendly events will return this Friday at 11 am as the South Carolina Aquarium will hold its latest sea turtle release at the Folly Beach County Park! A total of three turtles will be returned to the ocean.

As usual, the public is invited to attend the event. Although viewing the release is free, attendees should plan to pay for parking at the county park (unless you find free street parking).

Here are some details about the turtle from the Aquarium's website:

Atalaya
- Juvenile Loggerhead
- Found stranded on the beach at the Huntington Beach State Park in Georgetown County on Thursday, May 8th
- Was emaciated and dehydrated
- Had intestinal parasites and poor blood work
- Named Atalaya after Atalaya Castle, a National Historic Landmark at the park
Blu
- Kemp’s ridley
- Caught on a hook by a Folly Beach pier fisherman on July 11th. The turtle swallowed the hook, which the fisherman could not remove
- Now fully recovered after having hook removal surgery
- Named after the nearby BLU Restaurant and Bar
Trawler
- Juvenile Loggerhead
- Captured by a SCDNR trawling vessel, but was caught in a net with a stingray that led to being hit with the stingray’s barb.
- The barb punctured the body cavity

At the conclusion of the release, attendees are invited to BLU Restaurant and Bar which will be donating 10% of their lunch proceeds to the Sea Turtle Rescue Program. If you can't make it out to the release on Friday, you can donate to the Sea Turtle Hospital via the South Carolina Aquarium's donation page.