Wildlife officials moved 204 olive ridley sea turtle eggs to safety in September, the first documented sea turtle nesting on the US West Coast, NOAA Fisheries said.

One turtle was seen nesting near Seal Beach on September 16 and a second near the Huntington Beach Pier on September 19. Scientists confirmed through shell and barnacle patterns that they were two different turtles.

The nests were initially fenced and monitored. But with Hurricane Polo threatening dangerous surf and high tides, an inter-agency team collected the eggs on September 25 and transferred them to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, FOX LA reported.

“The nests were going to be destroyed,” said Jonathan Snyder of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. “It was a dynamic situation and we had to make some quick decisions.”

The eggs will incubate for 45 to 60 days. If they hatch, the young turtles will be released on the beaches where the eggs were laid to crawl to the ocean, preserving their natural compass.