Wildlife
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HUGE Hammerhead Shark
On July 13, Chip Michalove, owner of Outcast Sport Fishing, reeled in by far the biggest hammerhead shark recorded off the coast of South Carolina. And after taking a photo with the animal, he followed his standard operations for large sharks – he quickly tagged and released her, and watched her swim off into the ocean a few miles off the shore of HIlton Head. Chip estimates that the shark was 13 1/2 feet long and, based on length to weight tables, probably weighed over 1,000 pounds. He catches and releases a number of great white sharks, but they are much bulkier. A similar length great white would be closer…
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12 foot Great White visits Hilton Head
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14 Years of Turtle Nests on Hilton Head Island
If you have been lucky enough to be on the beach at Hilton Head Island during the summer, you have probably seen the flagged sea turtle nests. If you have been very lucky, you have even seen a turtle heading back into the ocean after a hard night of egg-laying. And if you have been extremely lucky, you have had the opportunity to see baby turtles scurrying toward the water. Each year, turtles make their way to Hilton Head Island to lay their eggs. We have been tracking the counts using data from the wonderful folks at www.seaturtle.org, and are very happy to say that it looks like the number…
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2021 Turtles are Hatching
Right on schedule, the 2021 baby turtles are making their way from Hilton Head beaches back into the surf. An estimated total of 79 new Loggerheads have hatched and made it to the ocean. That number will increase significantly over the next few months, probably ending up close to 20,000. Unfortunately, it appears that 2021 will be a slightly below average year for nests on HHI. Over the past ten years, an average of 309 Loggerhead turtles have made nests on our beaches each summer, producing an average of 21,000 Loggerhead babies. As of July 21 we have seen 244 new nests, and while already above the 2018 total of…
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12 foot Great White visits Hilton Head
Each year, Great White sharks migrate from the cold waters of New England to warmer waters south. It wasn’t until 2014 that there was proof that these giant creatures passed by Hilton Head Island. That is when local Chip Michalove started catching, tagging, and releasing the sharks a few miles offshore. From December to February Great Whites can be found if you know where to look – and Chip certainly does. He has landed over 30 of them, and about as many have gotten away before he was able to reel them in. This particular 12 foot, 1,000 pound Great White was caught in early February 2021 and was fitted…
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HUGE Hammerhead Shark
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Turtles are Hatching
Just on time, turtles on Hilton Head are coming out of their shells and heading to the ocean! The first Loggerhead sea turtle babies were recorded on July 16th scurrying from two of the nests on Hilton Head. The nesting is over, the hatching has begun. Turtles will continue to hatch through about the end of October, but the next month or so are the best window to see them in person. Click HERE to see a video of baby turtles that appeared in the Island Packet. 2019 was a record year for turtle nests, with 464 nests (resulting in about 33,000 hatchlings), but this year hasn’t been too bad. …
