ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Tropical Storm Bertha may have stayed offshore, but its effects were still felt along Pinellas County’s beaches, where rough surf and unusually high tides washed over a number of sea turtle nests during the height of nesting season.

Video captured Tuesday morning by a Spectrum Bay News 9 viewer shows rough water inundating at least a dozen sea turtle nests on St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille Beach. 

At a spot near the Don CeSar, water remained pooled over one nest for hours after high tide.

Volunteers with the Sea Turtle Trackers said about 40 sea turtle nests have been laid on St. Pete Beach so far this nesting season, and more near Shell Key. Trackers Jacky Dawson and Denise Testa said it’s too early to know how much damage the washed-over nests sustained.

Whether hatchlings survive depends largely on when the flooding occurred during the eggs’ incubation period. Sea turtle nests are buried deep in the sand, which can offer some protection, but repeated washovers can also reduce the chances of successful hatching.

Rough waves and high tides from Tropical Storm Bertha hit Pinellas County’s beaches.

This video sent to @BN9 from a viewer shows a nest in Pass-a-Grille Beach getting washed over. I counted at least a dozen nests that were washed over multiples times over the last few days. pic.twitter.com/7ylBjnFryE

— Angie Angers (@angie_angers) July 23, 2026

Both Dawson and Testa are hoping for a quiet remainder of the summer weather-wise to give the nests the best possible chance. They say a number of nests were laid close to the waterline this year, which didn’t help the situation.

“It’s still early,” Dawson said. “We usually don’t get our hurricanes until the end of August into September. But whatever Mother Nature is going to do, she’s going to do.”

For now, Sea Turtle Trackers will continue monitoring the nests and documenting conditions. All of their observations are being submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which will use the data to help determine the storm’s overall impact on this year’s nesting season.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium patrols for sea turtle nests from Treasure Island and north.