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Beach Description


Hilton Head Island is the largest barrier island on the South Carolina coast. It is comprised of gated communities, private homes, condominiums, and multi-story, oceanfront homes. A rock revetment was constructed on the mid-portion, and beach nourishments have provided a dry beach here. Loggerheads typically nest on all areas of Hilton Head's sandy shore. Leatherback, green and one kemp's ridley nests have been documented. There are small pocket beaches on the side of the island facing Port Royal Sound: Pine Island (1.18 km) and Hickory Forest/Mitchelville Beach (2.94 km). Most nests are laid along the ocean-facing beach. Hilton Head Island has 23.8 km of beach on the Atlantic Ocean and 4.12 km of beach on Port Royal Sound. A total of 27.94 km of beach are patrolled daily by volunteers. Hilton Head averages 250 nests per season.
The data presented here should be considered preliminary in nature. All data, figures and maps on this website remain copyright of the project coordinators and may not be used or referenced without the explicit written consent of the data owners.
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DNA Samples Assigned: 5 (1.2%) |
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| Significant Nest Losses | |||||||||||||
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