Dunes are the mounds of sand with sea oats and other plants on them. They line the shore and help keep homes and businesses safe from the sea. But they are fragile! All the sand areas marked by ropes, and other areas with sea oats, are protected by Town Ordinance Sec 14-132.

• Use designated walkways only! Keep people and pets out of dunes.
• Keep beach chairs, umbrellas, and all other gear off the dunes!

Holes are fun to dig, but holes left unattended are a major hazard on the beach. People walking at night could be injured, and nesting sea turtles could become trapped in a hole. Please leave the garden shovels at home and enjoy digging with small tools. The beach is not a place for excavations. A new ordinance requires the filling of all holes before leaving the beach.

Beach Gear is all the stuff we bring for a day of sun, sand and sea – chairs, towels, body boards, canopies and umbrellas, snacks, drink containers, and such. It should be kept away from the dunes, and taken with you when you leave. If you no longer need it, put it in the trashcans at any street access. A new ordinance requires that beach gear be removed at the end of the day. You can leave canopy poles, but the covers must be removed.

Trash on the beach is a danger to all. Cigarette filters trap carcinogens and release them to the sand. Plastic can take decades to degrade, and plastic debris can entangle and kill birds and marine life. Plastic bottles caps are quickly becoming the second most common trash item on our beach. Balloons look like jellyfish to a hungry turtle, and the turtles could die from eating them! There are trashcans at all street accesses, and blue recycling barrels at many locations. Please help keep Oak Island clean and safe for people, birds and sea turtles.

Endangered Sea Turtles nest on Oak Island beaches and dunes starting in May, and hatchlings emerge from July through October. Learn more about them here or attend a public lecture in the summer. Sea turtles are protected by Federal, State and Town laws. Please plan to:

• Keep beachfront lights off at night.
• Never touch or shine a light on a nesting female or hatchling.
• Keep beach gear away from nests, and don’t dig near them.

Only about 1 of every 1000 hatchlings survives to the age of spawing. Every sea turtle needs every Beach Lover's help!