THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME
KATRINA HAMRICK
SOUTH UNIVERSITY

MY FIRST HATCHLING EXPERIENCE “Beep! Beep! Beep!” went the alarm clock in a fury to wake me up. For the first time in my life, I barrel out of my bed and immediately into the next bedroom. Almost falling on the cold, hard-wood floor I pounce on Mollie’s bed, somewhat like a cheetah. She rises up out of her cozy bed and says “Really? Is it already 6:00 am?” “Yes!” I screech like a thirteen-year old cheerleader when her team is scoring points. “Get up! It’s almost time to leave!” I say. The day has finally come for us to go to Oak Island, NC and aid in the hatching of baby sea turtles. “Alright, give me ten minutes” Mollie replies. I run quickly down the stairs, bursting open the refrigerator. “Hmm…what should we eat?” Anxiously scanning the refrigerator and freezer, my eyes stop at Pillsbury toaster strudels. Not just any toaster strudels, but with strawberry and blueberry flavoring. “Sounds good to me!”, so I pop a few in the toaster to let them cook. After a minute and a half, I hear “Ping!” and the food is ready. I yell at Mollie to come downstairs and eat before we head out. Mollie, like a snail, slowly maneuvers her way down the stairs. “Good morning sunshine!” I yell, she smirks at me and sits down. We both decide to get one of each flavor of toaster strudels. They are so yummy! Delicious and sweet, berry-flavor explosions. “So what’s the schedule for today?” asks Mollie. Ecstatic and filling with joy, I reply “When we first arrive, we will check into the motel, then we will meet at the Town Hall with the other group members at 1:00 pm, and finally to the beach for the hatching!” Mollie, finally waking up, says “This is such an exciting experience, and on your birthday! This is the best present you could have got yourself!” I smile really big, and respond “I know this the best birthday present, period!” Smiling to myself I realize that I almost forgot about it being my 18th birthday. How crazy? Honestly, I could care less about going out and having a party, I just want to get on the road to Oak Island and meet up with the members of the Turtle Watch Program. What better of a start to your 18th birthday then to help out animals (in this case, sea turtles), who are endangered due to the fact of what we humans are doing to the environment. Mollie and I gather all of our heavy, bulky bags to take with us for the weekend, and load it all in my 1990, two-door, maroon-color, Chevrolet Cavalier. We pack everything but the kitchen sink, it all fits, and we have no worries. “Alright, do you have everything?” I ask. Mollie says “Yes, I’m ready to roll!” So we pull out of the tulip and daisy- lined driveway, and head out on Highway 68 towards the bustling Interstate 40. It was a sizzling, breezy May morning. We have all the windows down, letting the wind blow through our hair. Mollie’s jet black aviators and my cheetah-spotted, rainbow-color sunglasses are on, and we are ready for our exciting, new adventure to the most beautiful beach on the North Carolina coast, Oak Island, NC. After four anticipating, drawn-out hours we see the old-fashion bait shop, Clem’s Seafood. I beam at Mollie with excitement, and she looks back and gives me a genuine, warm smile. We are almost there! Fifteen minutes passes by, seeming like a dog’s age, and we arrive at the quaint, tidy, and peaceful Oceancrest Motel. I put my maroon rider in park, jump out and start dancing! “What are you doing?” Mollie asks. With wild laughter in my voice I respond “Nothing, just dancing”. Mollie looks at me, laughs and we both then open up the car doors to get out the heavy, burdensome bags. After checking in at the office, which smells of pina-coladas and happiness, we get our antique-like, gold keys to our room. Carrying the bags into the room, or dragging rather, we unpack all of our extensive belongings. We put all of our things in their specific places, and out the door we go like a flash of lightning. On our way to Town Hall, Mollie asks me “Why is this so important to YOU, and why are YOU so excited?” I fearlessly reply “Mollie, sea turtles are my very favorite animal. These creatures are so beautiful and play such an important role in marine life in the oceans. My excitement comes from being able to help these creatures from becoming even more endangered than they already are. And I get to help them on a very special day for me, what more could I want?” Mollie looks at me like I have just won a Nobel Prize for saving sea turtles. I just grin from ear to ear and then take a slow right turn into Town Hall at just a hair before 1:00 pm. “Katrina!” I peer around the parking lot looking for the origin of the voice. While still looking around, I stop, my eyes getting big and I yell out “Nancy!” Nancy is a wonderful, beach-raised, southern woman who was born and raised in Cherry Grove Beach, SC (beside N. Myrtle Beach, SC), the mother of an old friend. “Nancy!” I yell again, and skip over to her. “How have you been doing Miss Katrina?” Nancy asks. “Very Well Nancy, how are you? And what are you doing down here?” I say. Nancy replies “Katrina, did you not know that I am one of the founding members of the Oak Island Turtle Watch Program (OKITWP)?” Picking my jaw up off the ground, I immediately start asking her questions, trying to get a more wise insight to how long she’s being doing this, and inquire about her personal experience along the way. I then introduce her to my shy, stay-to-herself friend Mollie. She finally says to us “Are you two ready to begin your membership with the Oak Island Turtle Watch Program?” We both nod our heads quickly and with jubilance. As we enter the doors of the Oak Island Town Hall, we make our way into the warm, neutral-toned, meeting room. This room has big, cozy couches and chairs, a table with finger foods that seems to go for miles, and the founders of the OKITWP are arranging at a table to the side. Mollie and I have mostly the same foods on our plates. Green cucumber sandwiches, cheddar cheese cubes, blaze orange carrots, with homemade ranch dipping sauce, and some plain, rigid potato chips. The food is delightful, and a good, light snack. After Mollie and I choose a beige, micro-suede couch to sit on, the OKITWP presentation begins. The first order of business is to introduce ourselves. Giving our name, age, and the reason we have come and joined the program. There were about 20 to 25 people excluding the founders, and it finally got around to my turn. “Hi there everyone! My name is Katrina Hamrick, and I have made the decision to join the program because of my love for turtles. Ever since I can remember they have always been my favorite animal, and what I love dearly. Up until I was about 14 years old, I did not know of the great dangers, and daily trials that these beautiful marine creatures go through. This it why I’m here today, to do my part in taking care of these endangered animals.” After my presentation, the founders give me warm, standing ovation. Not expecting this at all, I smile sweetly, and sit back down in my cozy couch spot. Nancy then stands up and says “Thank you everyone for coming and helping these turtles beat the odds. We appreciate you all being here. I would now like to announce, on behalf of my fellow founders, that Katrina Hamrick will be the team captain for today’s hatching”. My face turns to a shade of ruby red and I smile. I am overflowing with excitement, but at the same time extremely nervous. I have never done anything like this before! How can I be a team captain? “We choose Katrina because she is the one of the most passionate members in this group, and seems to have strong leadership qualities. Is everyone okay with this decision?” The 25 fellow turtle-lovers all clap their hands and smile at me. This gives me a huge boost of confidence, and then I know that I did not have to impress anyone, but to do everything I can to aid in the baby sea turtles hatching tonight. This is my turning point. I begin to see that this is not just a fun adventure, but an act of pure, nurturing love. After the presentations and the appointing of my new “team captain position”, I fill with motivation and am ready for action. The founders then present to us the Sea Turtle Safety video. This active, informational video is a wonderful training tool in teaching us how to care and handle these precious creatures. This video gives us an excellent step-by-step guide on how to help mother turtles and their hatchlings get to the ocean safely. They explain thoroughly about the gear that we use to effectively and quickly handle the turtles. Luckily, there is nothing on the video too extensive to understand. However, the founders are very helpful in showing us with mock, stuffed turtles the proper way to carry-out the procedures on the safety video. Mollie and I glance at each other, thinking the same thing, that we are so happy to be a part of this program Following the rigorous safety portion of the OKITWP meeting, the founders give us the definitive itinerary which includes a map. This itinerary is unlike any I’ve ever seen, but in an accessible, conducive way. There are 2 long columns on a white sheet of laminated cardstock. The label for column 1 is Mother Turtle and column 2 is Hatchling, eliminating all petty confusion on what you do for each turtle or hatchling. A black, bold, bullet list is at the bottom listing safety procedures. Turning over the paper there is a large, beach map of the specific nests. There are 4 nests tonight, meaning that 5 people are responsible for each nest. My specific position of the “team captain” requires, as Nancy explains, for me to go around to each of the 4 nests and make sure safety procedures are being followed humanely and accurately, and to help in any way; for example helping out the mother turtle, while the team is caring for the newborn hatchlings. When the itinerary portion is finished, Nancy and the fellow founders dismiss us until 6:00 pm that evening. This way we could have a serene, motivational, re-charging break so we could be alert in the evening, and into the darkness of night. We are to meet at the Oceancrest Pier’s parking lot, which luckily in our case connects directly to the Oceancrest Motel! Convenience at it’s finest! After dismissal, Mollie and I go to a few charming little shops, and go eat in Southport for supper that sunny, beach afternoon at Provisions Seafood Restaurant. We hustle our way back to the lovely Oceancrest Pier for a night of new, beautiful experiences and first encounters. At 5:55 pm, Mollie and I scurry out of our quaint motel room with excitement, walking across the boardwalk dock to the Oceancrest Pier’s parking lot. After dressing and prepping, Mollie, I, and the other members are ready for our sea turtle adventure. Nancy and the founders hand each one of us a hunter green backpack with an ironed-on turtle patch. Our backpacks include concise gear that will be a great necessity to follow our rigorous safety procedures and other things such as; the itinerary, a flashlight, rubber gloves, Aquafina water bottles, snacks, and an OKITWP booklet with information about different types of turtles, how to take care of them , their hatchlings, and so much more. They have everything we need to be successful and effective during the nesting. Nancy briefly explains what each item in the bag is for and she also explains that the snacks are only to be eaten before the hatchings, during "down time" hours. This way the sea turtles get the attention that they need, and we get to keep our positions in the OKITWP. Gently we all tread down to the beach at about 6:30 pm. We “set up shop” by getting our materials out and getting familiar with the nests, and the mother turtle. The very first thing we do is put on our white-latex, rubber gloves. This way we can touch and caress the mother turtle without getting our bacteria on her shell or skin. After I became familiar with the specific mother turtle that I, Mollie, and 3 others were caring for, I begin to make my rounds and inspect proper treatment of the mother turtles. The mother turtles are all greenish-brown, very large, and laying atop their nests. For about another three and a half hours, the mother turtles are nesting. We are all just waiting and watching the mothers get ready for their babies to hatch. A beautiful aspect of this process, as I am thinking to myself, is that these turtles really need me. There are so many dangerous things out here that could prevent them from hatching, making it to the water, or just to stay on the living side of life. Like a breeze of the wind, the moment I have been waiting to experience for a short, but lengthy lifetime is getting ready to begin! Suddenly, the wet sand begins to quiver, looking like quick sand. For a few minutes this continues, and then I see a wet, sandy, little flipper push through. A tiny part of a baby sea turtle hatchling! Keeping very quiet, as anticipation flutters through my stomach, hatchlings begin to rapidly emerge from the sand. The tiny, brown hatchlings begin to completely uncover from the soft, but wet sand, and make a dash for the big, blue sea. Inside me, filled with butterflies, I wonder to myself…how do they know where exactly they should go? It must be an instinct inside them to go straight toward the wavy, blue-gray water. I search for Mollie’s eyes in the darkness. I find them, and we both look at each other with watery, teary eyes. Thinking about how beautiful and precious this experience is for us. My love for sea turtles is unconditional and vast, but the most breath-taking part of this whole journey was watching a riveting creation of life that seems so simple to us, but is an enormous chapter in a sea turtle’s life.