Recent storms such as Hermine and Julia have created chaos for newly hatched sea turtles trying to make it out to sea.

  • Hatchlings called 'washbacks' being washed back to beach
  • Recent storms creating rough surf, washing turtles back to shore
  • Turtle hospital director: Don't put distressed turtles back in water

Hundreds of exhausted sea turtles were being cared for at the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet on Wednesday after being rescued from the beach.

They were worn out — their little fins can swim no more — because of rough surf from recent storms.

Just the past few days, Melissa Ranly, the director of the center's turtle hospital, has taken in more than 150 baby sea turtles, some of which hatched days ago and were already trying to make their way to the Gulf Stream aboard seaweed. The Brevard Zoo also has taken in more than two dozen baby loggerhead sea turtles at the zoo's Sea Turtle Healing Center.

“The turtles that have been living out there offshore and thriving suddenly are on a small patch and end up on the beach,” Ranly said — as well as sea turtles that hatched just as two storms were making their way up the coast.

“Some of the hatchlings that were making it out during Hermine weren’t basically able to make it out because the surf was too rough," she said.

Rough seas are not sea turtle’s only enemy. Beach visitors can also pose a threat.

Ranly wants people to know to turn baby sea turtles over to lifeguards.

That’s because lifeguards are trained to handle the "washback" sea turtles. After people turn them over to lifeguards, they can take those "washbacks" and turn them over to the Marine Science Center.

“The ones that wash back in — if they’re put back in the water, they really don’t stand a chance,” Ranly said.

In fact, she said the turtles can drown.

A video seen on Facebook recently shows beachgoers who saw what appeared to be distressed sea turtles putting them back into the water. But Ranly said sea turtles need rehabilitation before they can be strong enough to head back to sea.

Within the next few weeks — after the sea turtles are good and strong — Ranly and her crew will take the rescued sea turtles out into the ocean and release them so they can continue their journey.