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June Grass Update for Walton County 7/8/13:PM
June grass update for Walton County 7/8/13:PM
0 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
I stopped by the beach during l’heure bleue. The water is clearing up nicely. It is now the color of green tea (the real brewed kind is light brown, not that yucky yellowish stuff in the bottle) instead of beef stew. I could actually see the sandy bottom while standing on the shore. There is still a lot of suspended solids in the water and probably a high bacteria count too. I’d still avoid swimming for another day or so in Walton County. In Okaloosa County there is a health advisory due to a sewage spill, which I have linked to in another post.
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 be 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 7/1/13:PM
June grass update for Walton County TSHPSP to Stalworth Blvd./S. Bishop Public Access 7/1/13:PM
2-3 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
The storms from this weekend have dramatically steepened the face of the beach. The area between the tide line and the first sand bar is now a lot deeper and more U-shaped. There are thicker accumulations of June grass in the “U”s but it’s hard to judge how much since the water is choppy.
The June grass isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I’ve been watching the beach web cameras all day and I could see what I thought was a thick band of it off the first sand bar this morning that slowly moved into the beach this afternoon. The way it still looks on the cams is that all the June grass is pushed up against the shore but doesn’t extend out all the way to the second sand bar.
There is a lot of crud on the beach but not too bad. There are a lot of shoes! I also found a few sea beans and a really tiny by-the-wind sailor. There are also hundreds of dead moths, of various species, at the tide line. Moths aren’t something I usually associate with the beach so I don’t know why they are there or why they are dead. I only saw a few non-stinging jellies washed up on the sand but I didn’t see any in the water. A small (smaller than a bread box) shark was sighted by some other people while I was walking on the beach. If you don’t like sharks then don’t swim at “dinner” time!
I also saw a lot of live coquina clams, a few ghost crabs, and three kinds of terns. There were a few surf fishermen but I’m not sure if they were having any luck. I saw a lot of kingfish last week, so maybe there is some good fishing.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KIDS’ DIRTY DIAPER AT THE SHOWER/RINSE STATION! What is the matter with people?!?!
At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow and purple, 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 be 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 6/27/13:PM
June grass update for Walton County 6/24/13:PM
5-10 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
Walton County beach cams from ~2:00-2:30 PM
Even if I can’t go to the beach there can still be a report! I appreciate the well-wishes. I’m feeling better and was thinking about going to the beach later but after having a look at the beach cams I think I will just stay home and rest some more. I made this little collage from screen shots of the local cams over about the last twenty minutes. The June grass is really obvious. This should give you an idea of how you can use the cams to decide if you want to go down the the beach. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to improve over the weekend. SwellInfo is predicting an increase in swells on Saturday. Bigger waves may, hopefully, get rid of the June grass or just make it worse. Looking at the cams makes me hopeful though, since the bloom is localized and has just gotten pushed up close to the beach, it doesn’t appear to be reaching out to the horizon.
At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow and purple, 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 be 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 6/24/13:AM
June grass update for Walton County 6/24/13:AM
0 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
I stopped by the beach quickly this morning, while I was exercising, just to check. The water looked very clear but there were some dark areas out further in the surf. I suspect the conditions may be similar to what I experienced on Friday evening. There may be clouds of June grass just waiting to be pushed up to the beach. Mind the storm clouds offshore.
At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow and purple, 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 be 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 6/21/13:PM
June grass update for Walton County 6/21/13:PM
1-3 on the June Grass Grossness Index. With areas of 5-10 depending on where you are swimming!
I went for a swim with my husband around 5pm. The water was about the same temperature as the air and there was virtually no surf. When I entered the water I noticed that there were a lot of planktonic invertebrates including at least three kinds of jellies and what I think were salps or larvaceans. There was a little June grass in the water near the beach, but not bad. As we swam out toward the second sand bar I noticed a small low-hanging cloud of June grass hugging the bottom in about 6′ of water. Out further, in about 10′ of water there was a huge nasty cloud of June grass and sargassum that the waves and wind hadn’t quite pushed up to the beach yet. Yuck!
At this point I started getting stung by “sea lice” (transparent broken-off jelly tentacles, usually caused by rough surf). Fortunately I was wearing my Ecostinger swimsuit. Unfortunately it was my “shorty” model, not the full-body, so my legs were getting stung as well as my wrists and hands. These kind of jelly stings are not serious, unless you are allergic. They are mostly annoying and make swimming less fun.
I deal with minor jelly stings by taking a very hot shower and occasionally sluicing the stings with apple cider vinegar if there are noticeable red marks. Usually they feel better once I leave the water and aren’t a big deal, which is the case for most people. Caution should be used with small children or people who are sensitive. I have had a serious sting from a sea nettle many years ago in the Virgin Islands. I am a little sensitive, so if I still feel itchy I take a benedryl. “Sea lice” may not effect everybody the same way: my husband rarely gets stung as often as I do even with bare arms and legs. If you think a sting that you or your child has is serious enough for medical attention I would recommend Emerald Coast Urgent Care. I go in there for things like sinus infections and tick bites and find the service to be fast, friendly and cheaper than an office visit. If somebody who has been stung by a jelly is experiencing itchiness in their throat and/or trouble swallowing or difficulty breathing they may be experiencing anaphalactic shock need to be taken to the emergency room IMMEDIATELY!
Here are some photos of what it looks like swimming out beyond the beach. They aren’t the best photos (I had to screen capture them from video my husband shot on a GoPro) but they will give you an idea of the water conditions.
A moderately clear area
A small-medium stingray in some June grass and sargassum
Pompano in front of a big nasty cloud of June grass
The clearest area and some fish if you squint
I know June grass is nasty but it seems to be providing a hiding/feeding area for this juvenile black drum. Black drum between 50-100lbs are currently being caught in Choctawhatchee Bay
Medium-sized southern stingray with 10 level June grass and sargassum
At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow and purple, 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 be 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!
The June Grass Report 