Sea turtles in the early life stage known as the ‘lost years’ remain the most difficult to observe and study, particularly among species with broad dispersal after hatching. The goals of this research were to 1) track early juvenile sea turtle movements in the Gulf; 2) compare turtle movements to passive oceanographic drifters for evidence of swimming behavior; and 3) examine potential neritic recruitment events to better describe where and when transitions between oceanic and neritic habitat use occurs. Between 2011 and 2022, we sampled, tagged, and released 114 ‘lost years’ turtles across four species: green turtles (Chelonia mydas; n=79), Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii; n=26), loggerheads (Caretta caretta; n=5), and hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata; n=4). Turtles ranged in size from 12.3-29.9 cm straight carapace length. To track post-release movements, we affixed solar-powered Argos PTTs to wild-caught turtles. We deployed a pair of oceanographic drifters at each turtle release to evaluate active versus passive movements. The average turtle tracking duration was 37 days (SD 21.9). Behavioral states differed between turtles and drifters, as did the frequency of positions in water depths <200 m, indicating the importance of behavior on their net movement and habitat associations. Nine turtles traveled via the Gulf Stream around the southern tip of Florida to the North Atlantic. Few if any turtles recruited to neritic habitats within the tracking period and many appeared to orient away from the coast. Turtles did not approach shore as closely or strand onshore as drifters did. Our results show that the waters over the continental shelf are important for small juvenile sea turtles in the Gulf. These data represent the most comprehensive tracking data for wild-caught dispersal-stage juveniles to date, offering a glimpse into the ‘lost years’ which will improve conservation and management plans to ensure their persistence in the future.