Olive ridley sea turtle near Seal Beach in Huntington Beach, California. Credit: Huntington Beach Fire Department

An olive ridley sea turtle was observed digging a nest and laying eggs on the beach near Seal Beach, in Orange County, California on September 16, 2026. This is the first-ever recorded nest for any sea turtle species on the U.S. West Coast. Three days later and about 8 miles away, a second turtle was observed nesting near the Huntington Beach Pier. The nests were fenced, roped off, marked with interpretative signage, and ocean conditions monitored.

Dr. Cali Turner Tomaszewicz, a research biologist with the Southwest Fisheries Science Center's Marine Mammal and Turtle Division conducts a photo ID analysis on the two turtles. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Out of an abundance of caution, an inter-agency team of scientists collected the eggs and transferred them to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on September 25.…