Category Archives: Beach Activities

Beach Safety

Please exercise extreme caution if you visit the beach this weekend. Flags have been red for most of the week. There have been two drownings of young people in Walton County this week.

June Grass Update 6/2/12

June grass update for Walton County 6/2/12:AM

on the June Grass Grossness Index. 

We’re back from another beach snorkel. Despite the surf forecast there are actually some pretty decent swells down there, so grab your boogie board, surf board, or SUP but mind the wind that could push you offshore. The June Grass isn’t at all bad and is still mostly on the bottom out in the surf, the swells have the vis down though, so not the best weekend for snorkelers and divers. The water is nice at about 79F. We saw two small pods of dolphins, a small flounder, and a lot of baitfish. If you are diving be sure you have your diver down flag (as required by state law), since we saw a fishing boat come VERY close to the beach. There is still a bit of sargassum around but no sea lice or jellies that I saw this morning. That may change when the wind shifts this afternoon. Have fun at the beach!

If there isn’t a current June Grass report up on this site I suggest checking the link to local beach cams on the left side of this page. They can often give you an idea of what the water is like.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

June Grass Update for 5/27/12

June grass update for Walton County May 27, PM:

on the June Grass Grossness Index. 

My husband and I went snorkeling at the beach around 5pm. The water visibility was decent and we swam out about 50 yards from the beach into about ten feet of water. I noticed a few dribs and drabs of June Grass along the bottom but none really in the water column. We saw a small southern stingray, a huge school of ladyfish, a couple of jellies, and a lot of gelatinous egg cases in the water. Close to the beach there was a distinctly cooler, somewhat murky, current of water but further out there was a very warm, clear current. This was where the eggs were and I ran into some sea lice, but nothing major, just annoying little stings. The water is probably 78-80F depending on which beach you’re at.

Please be SAFE, SMART, and CONSIDERATE this Memorial Day weekend at the beach!

If there isn’t a current June Grass report up on this site I suggest checking the link to local beach cams on the left side of this page. They can often give you an idea of what the water is like.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

June Grass Update for 5/26/12

June grass update for Walton County May 26, PM:

on the June Grass Grossness Index. 

This is technically a guest post. The UV Index is at 11, so I opted to stay indoors while my husband went for a  swim. He says there is no June Grass, most of the sargassum is gone, there are a few fish around, not many boats, and the water is nice.

Please be SAFE, SMART, and CONSIDERATE this Memorial Day weekend at the beach!

If there isn’t a current June Grass report up on this site I suggest checking the link to local beach cams on the left side of this page. They can often give you an idea of what the water is like.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

Still none

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Also a lot of surf fishing going on.

All Clear in St. Andrew Bay 5/20/12

Today I went snorkeling at St. Andrew State Park in Panama City. Not a hint of June Grass, a lovely beach day, decent visibility at about 30′, tons of fish including mullet, bucktooth parrotfish, cocoa damsels, bicolor damsels, sheepshead, small snappers and sea bass, senett, and a pufferfish!

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People aren’t the only ones who enjoy the beach…

I encountered another beach visitor on my way to go swimming this morning. I kept a respectful distance and took a few photos. After my swim the deer was still up in the dunes.

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June Grass Update 5/11/12

June grass update for Walton County May 11, AM:

on the June Grass Grossness Index. 

I went for a quick swim this morning. The water is a bit cool and there was a northeast wind so I didn’t stay in long but it was nice anyway. For you surf fishermen: there were some birds on a bait ball and a couple of dolphins just off-shore and yesterday I saw a few sand fleas and some crabs in the surf. There were a few baitfish around.

There is some sargassum on the beach from the storms earlier this week and some other algae and clumps of marine debris about, but nothing to make water sports unpleasant.

It looks like it’s going to be a great beach weekend!

 If there isn’t a current June Grass report up on this site I suggest checking the link to local beach cams on the left side of this page. They can often give you an idea of what the water is like.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

Just a moment of your time please…

Yet another cool way to enjoy the beach…

YOLO Boards anybody? A cool way to support conservation from a local Emerald Coast business worth supporting.