Wildlife officials have relocated olive ridley sea turtle eggs from two Orange County beaches to the Aquarium of the Pacific ahead of hazardous surf that threatened to wash away the historic nests, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday.

The eggs were laid earlier this month in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, marking the first documented sea turtle nesting along the U.S. West Coast.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said officials made the decision to move the eggs as high tides combined with dangerous surf conditions driven by Hurricane Polo.

Biologists collected the eggs Friday morning and transferred them to the Aquarium of the Pacific, where they will be kept in a temperature-controlled environment and monitored.

If viable, the eggs are expected to hatch within 45 to 60 days, placing their anticipated hatching in early November.

Olive Ridley Sea Turtles Included in Endangered Species Act

The two olive ridley sea turtles drew national attention in mid-September after laying eggs along the Southern California coast. Officials had been monitoring the nesting sites before deciding that approaching conditions posed too great a risk.

Breeding populations of olive ridley sea turtles along Mexico’s Pacific coast are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency and NOAA Fisheries West Coast collaborate on the management of olive ridley sea turtles.

The Fish and Wildlife Service said officials will continue providing updates on the eggs as they are monitored at the aquarium.

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