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June Grass is a 1 on Okaloosa Island
I stopped at Beasley Park and had a look around. The water looked nice, a nice emerald green, and I only saw a couple random small clumps of June grass. The wind is from the South. Choctawhatchee Bay looks a bit tannic and Destin Pass and Crab Island waters are a deep shade of navy and also a bit tannic.
More on Chlorophyll and June Grass May 13, 2015
Here is the best satellite monitoring data on chlorophyll that I could find for May 13 when Art and Hank were reporting June Grass in Blue Mountain and Henderson:
7 day composite of chlorophyll readings up to May 13. Redder = more chlorophyll. I got this image from data provided by University of South Florida College of Marine Science Optical Oceanography Laboratory
Here is a link to the University of South Florida site that I have been using. Make sure you are looking at chlorophyll data and not surface temperature data.
Red flag day on the Panhandle.
There is no June grass report today because of the red flags and ongoing rip current warning. I have been to the beach and the waves are big. Do not go in the water, it isn’t safe!
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!
The June Grass Report 