Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
For weeks, illegal activities at Ke Iki Beach on the North Shore of Oʻahu drove concerns for the safety of seven honu nests: bonfires, light pollution and beach driving.
While there had been the occasional nest on this beach in the past, this is the first time they have appeared on this scale.
All seven nests, likely laid by a single female who herself was born on Ke Iki Beach, created a unique challenge for conservation groups, residents and, most importantly, her offspring.
Soon after learning that her first hatchlings had emerged, Mālama i nā Honu volunteer coordinator Debbie Herrera and her team returned to dig up the newly emerged nest in search of information about the new turtles and their species.
Sometimes they find hatchlings still buried in sand that they can send on their way.
After an hour of digging and several sand collapses, the team confirmed its assumptions: All of the fertilized eggs not only hatched, but made it out of the nest and toward the ocean, sending 56 new baby turtles into the ocean.
Only time will tell if any of them will be among the 1 in 1,000 sea turtles to reach adulthood.
Reporter/Producer: Leilani Combs
For weeks, illegal activities at Ke Iki Beach on the North Shore of Oʻahu drove concerns for the safety of seven honu nests: bonfires, light pollution and beach driving.
While there had been the occasional nest on this beach in the past, this is the first time they have appeared on this scale.
All seven nests, likely laid by a single female who herself was born on Ke Iki Beach, created a unique challenge for conservation groups, residents and, most importantly, her offspring.
Soon after learning that her first hatchlings had emerged, Mālama i nā Honu volunteer coordinator Debbie Herrera and her team returned to dig up the newly emerged nest in search of information about the new turtles and their species.
Sometimes they find hatchlings still buried in sand that they can send on their way.
After an hour of digging and several sand collapses, the team confirmed its assumptions: All of the fertilized eggs not only hatched, but made it out of the nest and toward the ocean, sending 56 new baby turtles into the ocean.
Only time will tell if any of them will be among the 1 in 1,000 sea turtles to reach adulthood.
Reporter/Producer: Leilani Combs
