Image note: The NOAA photo above is illustrative. It does not show the six turtles or the Oct. 14 Ponce Inlet release.
Six juvenile green sea turtles returned to the Atlantic Ocean at Ponce Inlet on Oct. 14 after rehabilitation at Volusia County’s Marine Science Center. The public release brought the animals back to the water at Beach Street Ramp, where staff and volunteers helped them make the final stretch from shore.
The county named the turtles Frogish, Mangrove Snapper, Highland Cow, Nurse Shark, Armadillo and Silkie Chicken. Before the six turtles were released, the center also returned a rehabilitated juvenile brown pelican to the wild, according to the county’s post-event account. WFTV reported that the seven animals had spent weeks or even months in the center’s veterinary hospitals.
The release drew nearly 100 beachgoers, WFTV reported. The six juvenile turtles were carried past the first waves by volunteers and then allowed to swim out against the current. WFTV journalist Andrew Hoover reported from the scene and interviewed Allie Bernstein, the center’s turtle rehabilitation manager.
One wave briefly carried Mangrove Snapper back toward the volunteers, WFTV reported. A volunteer picked the young turtle up and carried it out again. The small moment showed why the team stayed at the waterline as the juveniles met surf and current. Volunteers gave them enough room to swim out while remaining close enough to help if a wave sent one back.
The animals had arrived at the center with different health problems. Bernstein told WFTV that some had been in veterinary care since April. WFTV reported that some had injuries associated with fishing line or fishhooks, while others had infected wounds or illness. The reports do not identify each turtle’s condition.
The Marine Science Center’s rehabilitation work has become a steady part of the area’s wildlife response. WFTV reported that the center had cared for about 243 sea turtles during 2026 by the time of the release, in addition to nearly 250 hatchlings that were washed back to shore during nesting season. Bernstein told the station that since the center began in 2002, its team had cared for more than 21,000 turtles.
Those totals put one public afternoon in a wider context: each turtle’s return followed care from a veterinary and rehabilitation team, then a release timed for conditions that would let the animals resume swimming in the Atlantic. The county’s account describes the release as the end of the six turtles’ rehabilitation at the center and their return to their natural habitat.
The release was also a chance for people on the beach to see wildlife rehabilitation at work. Bernstein told WFTV that the team wants to educate the public and return the animals it rehabilitates to the wild, where they can contribute to the breeding population. The station described staff and volunteers celebrating together after the turtles entered the water.
For the six turtles, the names that sound like a playful roll call marked the end of a difficult stretch out of the ocean. The county’s release names all six and confirms that they had been cleared for release after treatment. It does not provide a medical timeline for each turtle, and the center’s public account does not claim that any one treatment alone led to recovery.
WFTV also included a practical reminder from Bernstein for anyone who finds a stranded sea turtle: do not push it back into the water. A turtle on shore may be sick or injured and may not be able to surface to breathe. Report an injured animal to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Beach Patrol or the Marine Science Center, as WFTV reported.
By the end of the afternoon, the six turtles had crossed from the care of the Marine Science Center back into the ocean. The event brought together the people who cared for them and beachgoers who came to watch, while underscoring a simple conservation lesson: a safe return to the water starts with trained responders and time for an injured animal to recover.
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