Category Archives: Beach Conditions
Rip Current Statement for Coastal Okaloosa County, FL
Issued by The National Weather Service
Mobile, AL
Fri, May 15, 10:38 am CDT
… HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK… WHICH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
* TIMING… THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
* IMPACTS… FREQUENT LIFE-THREATENING RIP CURRENTS ARE EXPECTED. THE SURF IS DANGEROUS FOR ALL LEVELS OF SWIMMERS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS.
RIP CURRENTS ARE LIFE-THREATENING TO ANYONE ENTERING THE SURF. IF YOU BECOME CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT… YELL FOR HELP AND REMAIN CALM. DO NOT EXHAUST YOURSELF AND STAY AFLOAT WHILE WAITING FOR HELP. IF YOU HAVE TO SWIM OUT OF A RIP CURRENT… SWIM PARALLEL TO SHORE AND BACK TOWARD THE BEACH WHEN POSSIBLE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SWIM DIRECTLY AGAINST A RIP CURRENT AS YOU WILL TIRE QUICKLY.
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More Information
… HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING…
.A PERSISTENT MODERATE EAST TO SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW IS CREATING ELEVATED SURF AND A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. THE HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
June Grass is in at Henderson Beach & Blue Mountain Beach
I’ve got reports from the POST BEACH CONDITIONS HERE page that the June grass is in at Henderson (Destin) and Blue Mountain (Santa Rosa Beach 30-A). I haven’t had time to go look yet. Subscribe to the comments on POST BEACH CONDITIONS HERE if you want the most current updates from people on the local beaches. Thank you to the reporting parties and please send pics if you have them!
THPSP Morning
Still a 0 on the June Grass Grossness Index. Folks seem to be having a great day at the beach. The safety flags were yellow, the wind was from NNW and the Gulf is pretty calm.
Lots of Choctawhatchee beach mouse tracks in the dunes.
Still Clear
THPSP and Sandestin are still at a 0 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
The wind is coming from the southwest and the water is still a bit choppy for swimming. The water also seems a bit warmer to me today.
There are a ton of black-bellied plover around. They are beautiful birds but very skittish. There are also a lot of other shorebirds like terns, gulls, willet, and sanderlings if bird watching is your thing.
I also noted a large number of black unicorn horn – shaped snails in shallow water, which is new for me. I will try to figure out what species. The beach and the Gulf are full of surprises.
It’s Gone!
THPSP, Stalworth, and Sandestin were clear this evening: 0 on the June Grass Grossness Index!
The water is a beautiful malachite color, between emerald and turquoise, but the surf is 2-3′ and a rip current alert is in effect. Stay out of the water! Red and purple flags were flying at the time of this report. The wind is coming quite strongly from the south, so I am a bit puzzled about where the June grass went.
There was one solitary pompano angler at the beach along with some willets, sanderlings, sand pipers, and a few ghost crabs. It’s shorebird nesting season, so watch where you step and respect roped – off nesting areas.
Here are a few photos:
Help improve the June Grass Report by submitting pics of beach conditions to:
Junegrasspics AT g mail DOT com
Thanks!
THPSP Afternoon
It’s true!
The June grass is in at about a 3 on the Grossness Index.
I stuck my feet in and the water is still a bit cold for my liking (I also turned the heat on in my car Tuesday morning when it was 64F. Obviously I have been in FL for too long).
If the water were warmer I would still go swimming.
I doubt the June grass will be leaving any time soon unless the wind shifts.
Photos of the carnage:
Please send me your beach pics to:
Junegrasspics AT g mail DOT com
June Grass Arrives Early!
I’m sorry for the lack of updates, I have been meaning to share some nice off-season beach pics but life is busy at the moment. In fact I am trying to run out the door to work right now! However, I just got a second-hand report that some fishermen at TSHPSP say the June Grass is in and thick enough that they can’t fish! Ugh!
I will try to get down there after work and confirm but if anybody has any pics please send them to me so I can post them ASAP!
The last two weeks on the Emerald Coast have been stormy, so I suspect a lot of “fertilizer” ended up in the Gulf, plus the majority of the wind has been coming from a mostly westerly direction, which is where the June Grass usually comes from.
What a way to begin the season!
Stalworth to Sandestin is Clear!
I had my breakfast at the beach and took a walk this morning. It’s absolutely gorgeous! The water is a clear glass-green with a bit of chop. There is a fair amount of sargassum on the beach but only a few balls of it in the water, which is warmer than it has been recently but not as hot as it usually is by August. There is 0 June grass!
Keep an eye on the thunderheads. I could see some rain to the east and when I started hearing thunder regularly I got off the beach. I counted 17 medium-large stingrays along less than half a mile of beach so caution and shuffling feet are a must today. There are a lot of other fish in the water today too: baby pompano, redfish, small kingfish, half beaks, and a few schools of what I think were hardhead catfish. The gulls and terns are having a field day, so it may be a good fishing day. Enjoy!
Destin Jetties Look Good at High Tide
Mark sent in this report and fantastic pics:
” Taken on 8/7 high tide at East Jetties Destin Florida! Around 9:30 AM ”
“No Grass ! Taken 8/6 around 10 am”
The June Grass Report 