Category Archives: Weather

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 no June Grass Here

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There are rumors that the June Grass is starting to come into areas west of Walton County like Navarre and Fort Walton. The wind is supposed to be from the North for the next three days, which often calms the Gulf. When I was wading this morning I observed shoals of ~1″ baitfish being chased by small schools of ~1′ game fish. Blues maybe?

Stormy Seas

Well as you can tell it didn’t turn out to be a great beach weekend after all. However, storms don’t diminish the beauty of the beach, although the sargassum will probably make the sea air less sweet later this week.

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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…

Sunday Surf

Here’s a view of the Gulf yesterday morning walking west from the Stalworth Lake public beach access off South Bishop Drive in Santa Rosa Beach. There were a lot of surf fishers and later I heard pompano and sheepshead were being caught off the beach. The water is in the 60s so only little kids and spring breakers are crazy enough to get in. Speaking of spring break please be careful, especially in traffic.  Today westbound traffic was backed up from Henderson Beach State Park to the Silver Sands Outlets and there wasn’t even an accident that I could see.

Where Has the June Grass Report Gone?

Well summer is over, the tourists are gone, and so is the June Grass. The June Grass Report will probably just switch over to reporting beach conditions until next spring, since the fall and winter are great times to enjoy Panhandle beaches. In hindsight I probably should have done a Yellow Fly Report during late summer and I could have written up the tropical storms. There’s always next year.

This morning when I went to the beach the wind was from the north and it was very calm. There were three or four fishing boats about 1/4 mile offshore, so something must have been biting. The water is cooler but still swimable, especially for those from northern climes who are used to having to swim in glacier melt-water. It’s not supposed to rain for the rest of the week so come enjoy 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 8/13/11

June grass update for Walton County August 20th, 2011, AM:

on the June Grass Grossness Index. The water was very calm this morning at sunrise and there were only a few small sparse blobs of June grass. There were many fish close to shore and I was lucky enough to see black bellied plovers, terns, a ray and a 4-5′ bonnethead shark at the west end of the beach near Sandestin. I also observed some of the swimming and biking legs of the Sandestin Triathlon.  The bonnethead posed no danger to the triathletes.  Please use caution if you are driving in the area today in order to help the bikers and runners have a fun and safe race. This should 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!