It’s warming up a bit outside! Today’s high is 73 degrees! Winds are blowing SE at 9 mph. The low tonight is 66 degrees. Mostly sunny out! Seems to be a perfect Fall day!
The fishing reports have been looking good for some time now! They’re catching Speckled Trout, Black Drum, Bluefish, Sea Mullet, Red Drum, Croaker, Spot and Puppy Drum. Order up! – I want some fish for dinner!
The surf has been around waist high with the occasional chest high sets. The wind is making it a little too disorganized. The swell should be at its highest today around 3:00PM. It looks to be fairly small through the weekend.
Ready to start planning your next years summer vacation? Let us help! See what we have to offer online at www.OuterBanksVacations.com
Sea turtles have a special affinity for the Outer Banks. And for many people on the OBX, that love is returned to the turtles. Spotters on ATV’s traverse the beaches daily looking for new nests, a “boil” is a community event that draws a crowd, heck, we’ll even close parts of the beach for those awesome creatures!
So, when I got this email from Dr. Wallace “J” Nichols, I needed to share it with y’all.
If you’ve followed the blog the past few months, you’ll probably recognize J’s name as the founder of the awesome Blue Mind event that we held at Jennette’s Pier earlier this month. We’re still in the process of diving into the presentations and materials from BLUEMiND2; so stay tuned for some great info that offers evidence of the positive effects the Outer Banks – and oceans as a whole – has on us.
But in the meantime, what has J been doing since the OBX Blue Mind conference? Saving sea turtles. Just another day on the job for the Blue Mind.
I’ll let J tell you in his own words. Thanks for the update J.
One Turtle Saved. Sea Turtle & Wallace “J” Nichols
Fifteen years ago the hawksbill sea turtle in my hands would have been hog-tied, whisked hundreds of miles, slaughtered and carved into trinkets.
Today, it swam free.
On Baja’s Pacific coast, an adult male hawksbill sea turtle found its way into a fisherman’s net. In the past, for the fisherman anyway, such a thing would have been considered a stroke of good luck. The endless demand for turtle meat, eggs, skin and shell on the black market can provide a nice payday to anyone willing to endure the low-level risk of being caught.
Hawksbill turtles, once common, are now the rarest of the rare due to decades of being hunted for their beautiful shells, which get carved into combs, broaches, and other adornments.
These days, however, a Mexican grassroots conservation movement called GrupoTortuguero.org has challenged the old ways and shaken things up a bit. A network of thousands of fishermen, women and children count themselves among its ranks.
Noe de la Toba, the fisherman who caught this turtle, is the nephew of the local lighthouse keeper who is a sea turtle champion himself. Noe contacted Aaron Esliman the director of Grupo Tortuguero. Esliman dispatched a call, an email and several facebook messages to network members throughout the region, who responded immediately. The turtle was swiftly moved by another fisherman to the nearby office of Vigilantes de Bahia Magdalena, where a team led by Julio Solis, a former turtle hunter himself, took care of the turtle, checking it for injuries. The turtle was measured and weighed, ID tagged and then quickly returned to the ocean. Images and details were shared immediately on Facebook and Twitter, on websites and over beers.
The fishermen involved weren’t paid. They just did it. It was no one’s “job”, but it was everyone’s responsibility. They weren’t motivated by fear or money, but pride, dignity and camaraderie instead.
People just like them are rescuing animals every day. Thousands of sea turtles are saved each year. The number of sea turtles in Baja’s ocean has been on the rise. One turtle rescue at a time.
Fifteen years ago experts had written off Baja’s sea turtles. The population was too small and the pressures on them too great, the thinking went. And yet, the survival of this one turtle tells a very different story.
If the survival of endangered species is just a battle of the budgets, they — and we — will lose. But if it’s a matter of will, commitment and love, I’ll put my bet on the turtles to win.
The hope conveyed in this turtle story is embodied by Julio Solis and beautifully described in his own words in the award winning short film by the good folks at MoveShake.org.
The hope we have for the restoration of endangered wildlife is the motivation behind our new online magazine, WildHope. It launches soon and highlights compelling wildlife conservation success stories and moves you can make to create more. I hope you will check it out. We have come a long way indeed.
As we watched that lucky hawksbill swim gracefully into deeper water, we all felt good, optimistic and grateful. It was a moment of joy, not because one turtle was saved, but because we understood that this one experience just might be a trend, a movement, a collective shift. And because a world with sea turtles is better than a world without them.
Just like a beachcomber diligently searching the shoreline for hidden treasure, I’m constantly on the lookout for great new OBX info to share on the blog. And I’m happy to say that there is no shortage of great Outer Banks topics to share with y’all.
In fact, I have trouble keeping up with all of the great blog posts I want to share. But that’s a good problem to have; so no complaints from this guy. However, it’s always nice when a great post falls into my lap.
A fellow Seaside Vacations‘ compadre sent along the post I’m about to share with you. I love the story, and it gives me a great idea for a new blog series! How about some posts about the Outer Banks from a local’s perspective? Can I get a “heck yeah!”
Let me clarify a bit. I probably could have fit this great post into our Outer Banks Everyday Magic blog series, but I have a different vision for the Local’s Perspective. Soothing the Soul is always magical to me, but I’d love our Local’s Perspective series to focus a bit more on how the locals live on the OBX, and not only on magic moments. I’m sure there will be some magic mixed in, but perhaps some mundane as well.
Here’s a story about an Outer Banks local (born and bred on the beach ), and how weekends are spent at the shore searching for treasure…just like y’all. And how the soothing elements of nature are still a pleasant surprise.
Alright, enough rambling. Here’s the first installment of OBX; A Local’s Perspective. Thanks Jenn. Enjoy y’all…
OBX: Sea Glass Soothes the Soul
Many vacationers spend some portion of their stay on the Outer Banks strolling up and down the beaches searching for seashells, conch shells, star fish, or some small token from the beach to return home with. This weekend, although we had some rain, I was able to enjoy some beach time with my two beautiful daughters. My girls are a hand full with lots of energy. I never thought simply going to the beach and searching for sea glass would have the effect it did.
The rain had stopped and the sun was shining brightly. My fiancé is a commercial fisherman, so we were spending some time with him while he was beach fishing. He has been finding beach glass over the last couple of weeks, so a challenge arose to see who could find the most sea glass. My oldest daughter, Tiffany, is 8 and is already in that competitive mode. Gracee however, was out to help Mommy. She is 4, so isn’t quite sure what she is looking for from one seashell to the other, so she looks for the “pretty ones”. They had a blast. The salt air and the rhythm of the small waves meeting the sandy beach brought them down to a calm, focused state of mind.
As we walk up and down the beach I notice other beach goers searching the line of shells. Are they looking for sea glass or just sea shells and other beach jewels? I wonder to myself, how many vacationers even know about beach glass?
Sea glass, or beach glass, is simply glass that has been smoothed over time. It acquires a frosted surface that feels soft to the touch. After the glass finds its way into the water, the tides, waves, or the current sweep the glass back and forth over sand. Over time, the shiny surface of the glass is worn away. The most common colors are green, clear, and brown.
It was great to find some beach treasures. But the real treasure was time with family enjoying nature and slowing down the world – and the kids – for a while.
I use all sorts of lists all day long. When I’m done posting this, I get to check this off my list! In fact, here’s a list of some of the lists I love: “To Do” list, grocery list, “Honey Do” list, project list – there are endless potentials with lists. What do you want to know? Like “apps,” there’s a list for that.
We dig all sorts of lists for the Outer Banks, and one of our favorite types is the Top 10! A quick hit that provides great info in a compact format. What’s not to love?!
Stay tuned, we’ll be sharing all sorts of OBX lists, and today we have…
Top 10 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About the OBX
1. A “Tucked Away” Outer Banks Park
If you’ve been to the Outer Banks, you’ve probably seen (or heard of) most of the parks and recreational areas. Currituck Heritage Park, Duck Town Park,Roanoke Island Festival Park and the list goes on. But there’s a little known park on the Outer Banks you’ve probably never seen. It’s in the 4-wheel drive area past Corolla, close to the Virginia line.
Best parts of the Outer Banks four wheel drive park:
Real bathrooms (not port-a-potties)
Grassy area for kids and pets to run around
Park grills
Trash cans
Boat dock
So, if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy one of the Outer Banks’ lesser known parks.
2. The Martians Have Landed
If you’re ever In the town of Hatteras, you may notice a quite unusual sight. If you look clsoely, you will see a “Martian space craft” sitting quietly along side highway 12. It’s complete with little green men and some spooky creatures peering out from the porthole windows.
3. Winged Horses
The beautiful horses you see around the Outer Banks are from the Winged Horse Extravaganza - a celebration of the 2003 Centennial of Flight. They can be found all along the Outer Banks – not only at places of business, but also in front of rental properties.
4. She Sells Seashells by the Seashore
If you have the opportunity (and time), make sure you head south to check out Ocracoke Island. Once you get off the ferry, you will be driving down a quiet section of highway 12. After approximately 1 or 2 miles, pull off the road and walk over the dunes on the oceanside (on your left as you drive). Most of the beach in this area is desolate and filled with incredible sea shells at low tide.
5. Big Blue
According to the International Gamefish Association, the Outer Banks and the Virgin Islands are the most likely places to catch Atlantic Blue Marlin weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
6. Bird is the Word
More than 400 species of birds have been identified at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, located on the north end of Hatteras Island.
7. The Civil War
The War Between the States brought several battles to the Outer Banks. At Hatteras Inlet (August 1861), at Chicamacomico (October 1861) and on Roanoke Island (February 1862), the Federals won their first victories of the war and established control over the Outer Banks. The inhabitants were not strongly attached to the Southern cause, and many took the oath of allegiance to the United States.
8. Pillage and Plunder
Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard the Pirate, lived, pirated, and died on the Outer Banks. Blackbeard was a very successful and flamboyant pirate. He was a tall, intimidating man decorated with cutlasses and pistols. During combat, his beard was braided with ribbons and he wore lit cannon fuses in his hair. He was killed in hand-to-hand combat with members of the Royal Navy at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718.
9. A House by the Sea
The first cottage built on the Outer Banks was in the 1830′s. In those days, planters from inland counties longed to escape the long, hot and humid summer, which they believed fostered malaria and other diseases. In the 1830s, the first of these plantation owners came to Nags Head and purchased 200 acres of land where he built the very first beach cottage.
10. On Hallowed Ground
The cemetery on Ocracoke island is officially located on British soil. It contains the graves of British sailors washed ashore after the wreck of the HMS Bedfordshire during WW2.
Fall has settled on the Outer Banks, and with it comes perfect OBX beach weather.
This past weekend brought bright sun, blue skies, warm temps in the 70′s, and a light off-shore wind cleaning up waist high waves. A perfect day to enjoy the sun and take in the sights.
The beach is always interesting. Never know what will turn up. A nature exhibit, interesting people watching, great surfing? Who knows?
This past Sunday we had it all. Wide open spaces, a sea turtle boil, hula hoopers, a jet ski pulling a dude on a surfboard, some surfers, lots of people watching, and some quality time with the family.
In the Life & Style section of the Wall St. Journal, reporter Bob Davis recently highlighted Duck, NC on the Outer Banks…. “where the sea is mild and the breeze is stiff.” Davis covers what to do, where to stay, and where to eat along the OBX.
Lounge on the remarkably uncrowded Atlantic Ocean beaches of the Outer Banks, a chain of barrier islands. The sand is fine and the water temperature is mild.
Currituck Sound, on the other side of Duck, is the place to jet-ski or kayak.
History abounds:
Kitty Hawk, 10 miles away, is where the Wright brothers made their storied first controlled, powered flight in 1903. Wright National Memorial has a full-size model of the biplane they flew.
Another historic attraction is the Roanoke colony, where British colonists first landed in 1585 and endured a few scant years. Their remains weren’t found, giving rise to tales of a “lost” colony. The national park on the site of the colonists’ Fort Raleigh is a lovely forested area.
The consistent winds are ideal Kite flying on the beach; Duck is filled with stores that sell all manner of kites.
Nearby, on Highway 158, is Jockey’s Ridge State Park, whose 100-foot-tall sand dunes give a better sense of what attracted Orville and Wilbur to the area: It’s a place where glider experiments could end in a soft landing. Instructors offer $99-an-hour hang-gliding lessons.
It will cost you nothing to stroll along Duck’s boardwalk, which juts over the sound.
Where to Stay: Prices for one-week rentals of three-bedroom homes start at about $1,500 in Duck and nearby Southern Shore, both of which have thick tree cover. Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills lack much shade, but rentals there are cheaper.
Where to eat: There are lots of restaurants with great views of the water.
To eat well, try The Blue Point Bar & Grill. It offers a gorgeous view of the sound. Try the flavorful celery soup for $7. Catfish fried in cornmeal with zucchini slaw on the side will set you back $25.
The Roadside Raw Bar & Grill, near Duck’s town square, lacks the view but has fine fare and live music most nights.
The Sanderling Inn’s Lifesaving Station restaurant, in a restored 1899 sea-rescue building, is more casual and less costly than the inn’s other restaurants. A terrific chowder followed by shrimp, andouille sausage and grits go for $31, roughly 40% less than the fare at the Sanderling’s elegant Left Bank restaurant.
Sunday at the beach. Saturday’s are busy on the OBX; people coming, going, and getting settled. But Sunday is a different story. By Sunday, the OBX pace of life has crept in and the world seems to slow down, offering ample opportunity for a gorgeous day at the beach.
We are in the thick of the summer season, and this sea of umbrellas offers a good visual of the “thick.”
NEST (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles) is reporting that they have already confirmed two nests. This is the earliest nesting on the OBX in about seven years.
One of the nests is from a Loggerhead, and a NEST volunteer had the pleasure of discovering the nest as the mother turtle was covering the eggs; it’s relatively rare to catch a glimpse of the mother. After covering the nest, Mama returned back to the Atlantic.
The second nest provided an even bigger surprise. The next morning, a rare Kemp’s Ridley mother climbed ashore to nest. Kemp’s are known to migrate through the North Carolina waters, and some have washed ashore, but it is very rare for one to nest on the NC beaches; only two Kemp’s Ridley nests have been documented on North Carolina beaches, and none along the Outer Banks.
This is a great indication that the Kemp’s Ridley are fighting their way back from the brink of extinction with the help of great programs like NEST.
The North Carolina Aquarium, located on nearby Roanoke Island in Manteo, is helping nurse dozens of sea turtles back to health after being rescued from the Outer Banks’ beaches.
The cold-blooded animals appear to have beached themselves after being stunned by low water temperatures. The turtles are all either of the loggerhead, green or kemp’s ridley varieties of sea turtles.
The American Tortoise Rescue is a organization that was founded in 1990 in Malibu California. This group founded National Turtle Day in 2000. On this holiday the group wanted to call attention to some of the issues that threaten the turtle populations of the world today. Here are some highlights that we thought might be interesting to point out.
What to do if you find a turtle that is healthy?:
If the turtle is not is any serious harm, then you should not attempt to move it. It is also not a good idea to take a turtle home. Taking the turtle away from its natural habitat can be harmful to the turtle.
What if this turtle is injured or sick?
Call the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter at 252-240-1200. Many times the turtle will not need medical attention. If the turtle is injured, then it is a good idea to keep the turtle in a box(obviously sized according to the size of the turtle)
For more information, visit the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter online, www.owlsonline.org.
– for a while.
The American Tortoise Rescue is a organization that was founded in 1990 in Malibu California. This group founded National Turtle Day in 2000. On this holiday the group wanted to call attention to some of the issues that threaten the turtle populations of the world today. Here are some 
