Kiawah Island is a private, resort community nestled on a barrier island with 16 km of ocean facing beach. The beach is wide, flat and fairly stable.

Sea turtle monitoring activities have taken place on Kiawah Island since the early 1970's and it now boasts one of the largest turtle patrol volunteer programs in South Carolina. It has been funded by the Town of Kiawah Island since 1990. Kiawah Island generally sustains a well developed dune field, due to the conservation minded regulations created during early development. Throughout most of the island dunes are backed by multi-story condominiums, single family homes, and The Sanctuary hotel.

Due to strict lighting restrictions and a strong educational program, lighting from these structures should not have an adverse affect on nesting females or hatchlings. Currently undeveloped, the western most part of the beach, called Captain Sam's Spit, is surrounded by ocean to south, salt marsh to the north, and county park to the east within beach front developed at the county park boundary. For approximately 3.4 miles east of the Ocean Course golf course the island orients ENE. This east end is quite private as most of it can only be reached at low tide or by boat. Kiawah Island averages 300 nests per season in recent years (2014-2022).