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June Grass Update for Walton County 6/15/13:PM
June grass update for Walton County 6/15/13:PM
0-1 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
Where is everybody? I’ve been watching the beach cameras all day. I don’t usually go to the beach in the middle of the day because I have very very pale skin, so I was watching and waiting. The beaches were nearly empty, despite the nice weather today, so I thought maybe the June Grass was really bad. I felt compelled to go look and post a report. All I found was a few random bits of June Grass and some sargassum!
I decided to go out with my boogie board and discovered that there is a good longshore current going parallel to the beach as the wind and waves are coming from ESE. Novice swimmers and small children should NOT go in the water right now. Not only is the longshore current quite strong, but there is a good potential for rip currents to form. If you don’t know what you’re looking for/at don’t go in! The water was a nice temperature, a bit turbid due to the surf, the surf is about chest-high on me in waist deep water, there were lots of small bait fish and nothing stung me despite the purple flag. I was pleased to note that the trash was in the trash cans and not on the beach! I overheard two small children talking with their parents:
Kid: Whoever made the beach…
Parent: That would be God…
Kid: IS AWESOME!
At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow and purple, but check them again before you head to the beach.
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 & Okaloosa 6/10/13:AM
June grass update for THPSP-Walton County, Clement Taylor Park (bayside), Crab Island and Gulf Shores National Seashore Okaloosa Island(bayside)-Okaloosa County 6/10/13:AM
0 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
I stopped at the beach during my workout and there was no sign of June grass despite yesterday’s storm. It was quite a strong storm since some frigate birds were patrolling near the beach. Normally they stay way offshore in the Gulf and I’ve only seen them come to shore when we have tropical storms. The waves are still pretty big and there is another series of thunderstorms coming from the west so strongly I recommend skipping the beach today.
On the way to work I stopped at Clement Taylor Park in Destin and had a look around. Choctawhatchee Bay seems pretty calm but that is no reason to be complacent. Crab Island and the National Seashore also appeared June grass free. The water was as flat as a pancake on the bay side of Okaloosa Island but I’d stay out of it with the thunderstorm approaching. Getting struck by lightening is more common than you’d think.
Two more people drowned yesterday, so I really recommend staying out of the water until we get the yellow flags back.
At the time this report was made the beach flags were red, but check them again before you head to the beach.
I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports in the comments section. 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 6/3/13:AM
June grass update for Walton County 6/3/13:AM
0 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
I wanted to go swimming this morning but the anticipated north wind was actually a west wind, so I opted to walk the beach between the Stallworth public access and the THPSP main access. I could have gone swimming but the water was murky, from the surf, and I usually swim to see fish. There was quite a lot of sargassum in the water and a bit on the beach. There were also a ton of small jelly-bodied organisms, which I think were larvaceans, washed up on the sand. Don’t worry: these organisms don’t sting. There were a couple of surf fishers in the water and three boats offshore. The were a pair of ruddy turnstones on the beach and the usual assortment of gulls.
At the time this report was made the beach flags were yellow and purple, but check them again before you head to the beach.
I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports in the comments section. 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 5/30/13:AM
June grass update for Walton County 5/30/13:AM
0 on the June Grass Grossness Index.
While I was out exercising this morning I stopped by the beach just to check. I had absolutely no intention of swimming because the synergistic effects of the shift in winds Monday, the new weather front that just moved in, and our soft ever-shifting sand bars have resulted in a Rip Current Statement for the area.
DON’T BE STUPID. I’m a moderately good swimmer, I SCUBA and freedive, and I’ve gone island-hopping ocean kayaking in the past. I don’t get in the water when there is a red flag. If it is really hot (which it is not right now, in fact the Panhandle is downright balmy for this time of year), I may stick my feet in to cool off, but otherwise I find something else to do. Your life, and your kids’ lives, are worth more than whatever you paid to vacation or buy a house here. I’m working on a list, to be posted later this summer, of alternative things to do in the area in case of red and double red flags.
The yellow flies are still ATROCIOUS within a mile of the beach but they don’t appear to be biting on the beach. By “atrocious” I mean I was riding my bike and still getting attacked. There is some sargassum on the beach, but don’t let it bother you. I don’t know why the purple flag is up. I did see a stingray the other day and I got stung by the broken bits of jellies called “sea lice” around here.
At the time this report was made the beach flags were red and purple, but check them again before you head to the beach.
I would love it if you would share your personal June Grass and beach condition reports in the comments section. 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 