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:
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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:
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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”
Dune Allen, Stalworth & East THPSP
June grass is 0 with a very few concentrated areas where it might be a 5. These areas are pushed against sandbars, are only about 10’×3′, and very easy to avoid. The beach looks awesome right now! The water is substantially cooler than it usually is at this time of year but it feels nice.
The June Grass Report 
