Category Archives: Beach Conditions

June Grass Update for Walton County 10/16/13:PM

June grass update for Walton County  10/16/13:PM

7-10 on the June Grass Grossness Index

The. June Grass. Will. NOT. Leave!

I attempted to go swimming this afternoon. Unfortunately by the time I got to the beach the wind had switched to the South and there were small waves. What is left of the June Grass is rolling up to shore and is the color of old over-boiled green beans/strained pear baby food. It is ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! It doesn’t seem to smell at least and it isn’t the same kind of slimy as the summer blooms but now it’s decomposing and is still SLIMY AND DISGUSTING! I waded out int to waist deep water to see if I could get out of the cloud. No such luck. Eww eww eww! I saw one small pompano. The June Grass remains are mostly piling up on the bottom, so instead of wading back to shore I swam/body surfed over the nasty mess. The water is still a nice temperature. I only recommend swimming when the wind is coming from the North, which is usually in the morning. The water will be warmer than the air but that won’t last for too much longer.

In the future there will not be June Grass Reports on red flag days because I don’t encourage anybody to go in the water on a red flag.

At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow, but check them again before you head to the beach. In Walton County you can text “beachflag” to 67463*

I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports on the Most Recent June Grass Sightings & Beach Conditions page, to further improve the June Grass Report. It would also e great if you left a comment to tell me where you’re traveling from to visit 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. It is also important to “Know Before You Go” and check local beach flags. They are updated twice daily at 9:30am and 1:30pm.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

June Grass Update for Okaloosa County 10/13/13:AM

June grass update for Okaloosa County  10/13/13:AM Crab Trap and Crystal Beach

0 on the June Grass Grossness Index with areas of 5-10

I was out reconnoitering in Okaloosa County along old highway 98 and took note of the beach conditions. The water is still pretty warm, plenty nice enough for swimming. The June Grass is loitering unusually long this year. Usually it clears up after Labor Day. This year it is being pretty tenacious, which I will guess has to do with the unprecedented rainfall the Panhandle got starting in late July. The wind was from the North so the water was nice and flat in the Gulf, the June Grass was in easily avoidable clumps near the sandbars and there were a TON of baby redfish in the surf.

In the future there will not be June Grass Reports on red flag days because I don’t encourage anybody to go in the water on a red flag.

At the time this report was made the beach flags were green, but check them again before you head to the beach. In Walton County you can text “beachflag” to 67463*

I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports on the Most Recent June Grass Sightings & Beach Conditions page, to further improve the June Grass Report. It would also e great if you left a comment to tell me where you’re traveling from to visit 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. It is also important to “Know Before You Go” and check local beach flags. They are updated twice daily at 9:30am and 1:30pm.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park at Dawn 8/29/13

junegrass2

Photo by Hubby

Photo by Hubby

Photo by Hubby

Photo by Hubby

Photo by Hubby

 

June Grass Update for Walton County 8/29/13:AM

June grass update for Walton County  8/29/13:AM

0-10+ on the June Grass Grossness Index

The June Grass seems to be piled up in certain areas and completely absent in others. If the wind stays calm and/or continues to come from onshore then the conditions should stay that way. If you can find a clear spot you should be good. If the surf picks up or the wind starts coming from offshore it’s going to be a mess! Have a look at the Seagrove Beach Sky Cam if you want to see what I mean. Walton County flags are still green/yellow but they haven’t been updated yet today, so check them again before you head out.

In the future there will not be June Grass Reports on red flag days because I don’t encourage anybody to go in the water on a red flag.

At the time this report was made the beach flags were green, but check them again before you head to the beach. In Walton County you can text “beachflag” to 67463*

I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports on the Most Recent June Grass Sightings & Beach Conditions page, to further improve the June Grass Report. It would also e great if you left a comment to tell me where you’re traveling from to visit 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. It is also important to “Know Before You Go” and check local beach flags. They are updated twice daily at 9:30am and 1:30pm.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

June Grass Update for Walton County 8/28/13:AM

June grass update for Walton County  8/28/13:AM

0 on the June Grass Grossness Index

The June Grass has been really snotty for the last week or so, and I’ve been busy with other things, so I haven’t actually been down to the beach. However somebody who was at the beach this morning was nice enough to let me know that the water was clear. Additionally we are having a rare green flag day! Green flags aren’t usually flown in Walton county. If you visit a state park today a yellow flag is probably flying. I’ve been lead to believe that the park service, on the Panhandle at least, never flies a green flag for liability reasons. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the lovely water lasts through the long weekend!

In the future there will not be June Grass Reports on red flag days because I don’t encourage anybody to go in the water on a red flag.

At the time this report was made the beach flags were green, but check them again before you head to the beach. In Walton County you can text “beachflag” to 67463*

I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports on the Most Recent June Grass Sightings & Beach Conditions page, to further improve the June Grass Report. It would also e great if you left a comment to tell me where you’re traveling from to visit 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. It is also important to “Know Before You Go” and check local beach flags. They are updated twice daily at 9:30am and 1:30pm.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

Tourist from Scotland dies in Gulf – Local – Northwest Florida Daily News

Tourist from Scotland dies in Gulf – Local – Northwest Florida Daily News.

via  Northwest Florida Daily News.

Note: In the future the June Grass Report may NOT be endorsing the Northwest Florida Daily News through links because new digital subscriptions limit free viewing to 5 articles per 30 days!

Pensacola Links

Surprise, surprise it’s raining! Here are two good links where you may be able to find information about beach conditions for the western end of the emerald coast:

Pensacola Surf.com
Be sure to check out the links to web cams all over the area on this on this one!

Pensacola Fishing Forum
Updates from anglers who’ve actually been to the beach!

The really nice part is that both sites have information coming from locals!

June Grass Update for Walton County 8/12/13:AM

June grass update for Walton County  8/12/13:AM

5-7 on the June Grass Grossness Index

Pretty much exactly the same conditions as yesterday, although the June Grass may have been slightly thicker. There were two deer, a ruddy turnstone, a sanderling, and some gulls at the beach.

In the future there will not be June Grass Reports on red flag days because I don’t encourage anybody to go in the water on a red flag.

At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow, but check them again before you head to the beach. In Walton County you can text “beachflag” to 67463*

I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports on the Most Recent June Grass Sightings & Beach Conditions page, to further improve the June Grass Report. It would also e great if you left a comment to tell me where you’re traveling from to visit 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. It is also important to “Know Before You Go” and check local beach flags. They are updated twice daily at 9:30am and 1:30pm.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

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June Grass Update for Walton County 8/11/13:AM

June grass update for Walton County  8/11/13:AM

5 on the June Grass Grossness Index

It’s a very pretty day to be at the beach even if the water isn’t so pretty. The June Grass looks more spinach than broccoli right now, so hopefully that means it’s dying and will go away soon. I think it’s doing the clumping thing, so if you walk a few hundred yards up or down the beach you may be able to avoid it somewhat. The beach water quality reports are good for both Walton and Okaloosa county, except Clement Taylor Park, which is bayside in Destin. When I drove across the pass earlier this week both the pass and Crab Island had finally gone back to blue water instead of brown. However, when I was driving east on 98 on Okaloosa Island I could smell the rotting June Grass from the road. Yuck.

While it’s not ideal swimming conditions right now, there are some biggish boogie board waves coming in over the first two sandbars (there are three right now: 2 close to the beach and the usual “2nd sandbar” out further). These waves aren’t quite big enough for regular surfing but might be an interesting challenge for more advanced SUP. There are also a lot of shorebirds around for the birdwatchers to enjoy. I didn’t see any surf fishers out yet today. As kids go back to school tourist season seems to be winding down. I’ve been quite pleased with the pleasantness of visitors we’ve had on the beaches this year: nobody was so annoying that I left the beach (which has happened often in years past).

In the future there will not be June Grass Reports on red flag days because I don’t encourage anybody to go in the water on a red flag.

At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow, but check them again before you head to the beach. In Walton County you can text “beachflag” to 67463*

I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports on the Most Recent June Grass Sightings & Beach Conditions page, to further improve the June Grass Report. It would also e great if you left a comment to tell me where you’re traveling from to visit 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. It is also important to “Know Before You Go” and check local beach flags. They are updated twice daily at 9:30am and 1:30pm.

PLEASE ENJOY THE BEACH RESPONSIBLY!

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Web Cam Educated Guess

I just pulled this screen shot off the Seagrove Beach Sky Cam.

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Check out how the June grass is eddying along the sandbars. I generally look at the cams once a day or so. From what I can tell (no money-back guarantee) the west end of South Walton to Destin Pass is relatively clear with some patches of June Grass. There are lots of folks enjoying the water at Sandestin and Pompano Joe’s. From what I’ve been hearing, and seen myself, Henderson Beach and Destin are pretty clear too. Folks are reporting that Okaloosa Island to Navarre are swamped with slimy smelly June Grass. The east end of 30-A including Rosemary and Seagrove look pretty grassy on the cams. I’ve not been hearing good things about PC/PCB, but I haven’t gotten a recent update. These are my best estimates until I go have a look at the water myself. At least it isn’t raining!

I personally wouldn’t bother fishing or swimming where it’s really thick with June grass and I don’t know anything about the bacteria levels in the water even for places that look clear. In moderately grassy areas I’d say fishing might work and if you are paddling it seems like you can get away from the grass, but be careful! I wouldn’t swim but I’m picky.