Why Locals In Beach Communities Want You To Put The Flashlight Away While On Beach

Put your flashlights away.

There's a pretty hot topic circulating in beach communities when it comes to guests using their flashlights on the beach at night.

We've all seen families out on the beach at night with lights in hand while searching for small crabs on the shore.

Well, some locals in places like Destin, Navarre, and Pensacola want you to put the lights away at night. They say that the bright lights are a distraction to the turtles nesting on shore.

So what do they suggest you use, they say that if you want to be on the beach at night, use a red light. The darker color light will not distract the turtles nesting, thus they will not abandon their eggs.

Some have even suggested that the bright lights from flashlights will deter turtles from even nesting on the beaches. Personally, I don't know if that is accurate, but many have suggested that in forums and discussions.

I don't know if you have noticed, but a number of condos and homes along the beach have changed the lights on balconies and porches. More and more are resorting to red lights, rather than the bright white lights we've seen in the past.

So, as a reminder, if you're hitting the beach in the days or weeks ahead and you want to be in the sand at night, you may want to consider using a red light, rather than the bright light on your phone.