Zoey Sanders waited patiently, eyes trained on the sand and water at South Padre Island for an experience she knew she couldn’t get back home in Arizona.

“I like beaches, but we’re not near beaches where we’re from,” Sanders said.

Nearby, John and Connie Campbell stood at the shoreline, watching and waiting for something they said they never get tired of seeing.

“They can't wait to get in the water," the couple said. “When they hit the water, they go fast; they're just like a little horse.”

Sanders and the Campbells were among the hundreds of people who gathered at South Padre Island on Thursday to witness the release of nearly 300 sea turtles.

The sea turtles were taken in by the non-profit Sea Turtle Inc. after a recent cold front stunned them in the waters, making them unable to swim and risking drowning.

The organization said a total of 370 sea turtles were cold stunned. Now that the turtles have warmed up, and the waters are warmer, nearly all of them were sent back to the Gulf. 

“In addition to responding to the cold stun, we've spent the last 24 hours planning the execution of this really elaborate transportation and release plan,” Sea Turtle Inc. CEO Wendy Knight said.

Volunteers and staff at Sea Turtle Inc. spent early mornings and late nights getting these sea turtles ready to go back home. According to Knight, each turtle gets tagged and must be medically cleared before release.

“There's an enormous amount of preparation that happens to transport this many federally protected animals to the beach at the same time,” Knight said.

It’s a process Sanders could only describe as “awesome, incredible,” and “mind-blowing."

The Campbells said the event encouraged them to volunteer with the non-profit organization.

“We're hoping to be the people that get to help release someday,” they said.

Despite a cold front expected to come to the area this coming weekend, Sea Turtle Inc. says the drop in temperature shouldn’t affect water temperature enough to cause another cold stun event.

If it does, however, Knight said the organization is ready with the same procedures in place.

Watch the video above for the full story.