Can I even begin to tell you how much I am NOT a morning person?!  It's not that I cannot appreciate a stunning sunrise, but a sunset is so much easier for me to enjoy, seeing as I've probably been conscious for over 10 hours at that point.  Until now that is.  With the crisp Fall air, the rustle of leaves in the morning breeze, the sweet smell of dry corn on the morning mist, fresh picked apples on the kitchen table, kids in their cute little plaid skirts and long white socks and mary janes.........OH wait...wrong state.  I'm in flip flop country!

I begrudgingly fell out of bed this morning at 5:45, which is after the bedside alarm went off, but seconds before the loud and annoying alarm I use on my cellphone as back up went off.  I swear I heard my sleep number bed say, "what? Where are you GOING?  Is the house on fire?  Take me with you!"

No, the house wasn't on fire.  It's the first day of school.  I joyous time in thousands of households across the state.  (Unless you are a resident of the county next door, then you've been at this for two weeks already !)  Yes, that day were the smell of peanut butter sandwiches on fresh white bread pervades the house, new crayons, new pencils, where new clothes, fresh haircuts, and eager and sleepy faces greet the flash bulbs before the great yellow beast pulls up the haul them away for 8 hours. 

I'm lucky enough to have an older child.  Not old enough to let him drive to campus, but old enough that he can get himself up, dressed, and fed.  My job?  To make sure he's wearing pants, is somewhat colour coordinated, and has his book bag.  I also walk him to the bus stop.  It's a long walk, and even this time of year it was dark, the sun barely above the horizon.  The birds weren't even awake.  Heaven knows I'm not.  I do know he got onto a large yellow vehicle, I'm pretty sure it was the school bus, as our trash truck is blue.  It did have blinky lights, so it COULD have been a yellow UFO. Anyway, I think about my friends this morning.  Two have sent their kiddos off to college for their freshman year, one is either weepy at sending off that kindergarten bus, or is breaking out the champagne - I'll find out later.

What on Earth does this have to do with the beach?  Not much.  It's just one of those monumental days of the year.  There is a little known tradition on Navarre Beach.  The first day of school brings out the mommy brigade!  We come down in the morning with a fresh cup of heaven and just sit and watch the waves and enjoy the quiet.  The kids aren't there screaming.  The tourists have left, until the snowbird migration,  and we look forward to cooler weather and our beach. (Don't get us wrong, we LOVE our tourists! It's just a transitional break back to normality and a much slower pace for us.) Much slower and we'll be going backwards!  Sigh. 

Unless you are me, and then you are looking ahead to the peak of hurricane season.  Danielle is ramping up in the Atlantic as we speak. As of this point she is still PROJECTED to say out to sea.  A quick vacay in Bermuda may be a poor choice this weekend, but as of RIGHT now she has not set her sights on either US or the Eastern US coast.  We all know that can change.  And we all know how fast things can pop up in our own backyard this time of year.  The PEAK of the season is still three weeks away.

I see on the web camera that the BP crews are out today WEST of the pier.  Good to see them out there in the daylight again.  Today has another heat advisory stuck to it.  OC in this heat and humidity, everything sticks to everything.  We're looking at another day with a heat index of over 105!  So take care of yourself.

The surf looks pleasant for the day, the chance of rain the whole week is low.  (YAY, for our landscaper.)  Our turtles are still brewing under the warm sand.  I've had no reports of tar balls, except the occasional ones that pops up from surf.  Crossing fingers.  OH, remember the log book stop at the firehouse is no longer needed.  Just email your hours to me at the surfnavarrebeach@gmail.com link and let me know when, where, and how long you were out.  I'll email everyone the day before I send in the report to the county as a reminder in case you forgot to report some hours.

Here's a little shot of an amazing sunset from the other night.  I hope you got to see it in person, the very AIR was yellow, then orange, then FIREY PINK.  It was great.

So with that, I'm heading out with my cold bottle of water and join the other mommies on the sand.  Or maybe I'll drag out the fishing rod.....or maybe...YAWWWWN......would a nap be out of the question?

Due to what's left of TD#5 spinning over sweet home Alabama, my joints are screaming.  And, oh joy, it's going to spin there and twirls down over PCB, and across the GOM again, and then over LA again.  So, I'm making this easy on me today.  Here is the Santa Rosa County Action report from yesterday. Enjoy! (Now where's the Tylenol?)
==================
Deepwater Horizon Incident Update #75


(Highlighted sections indicate new information)
· As efforts to stop the oil spill have been successful to date and impacts to our area are expected to be limited to sporadic sightings of tar balls and oiled debris, Santa Rosa County's response to Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident will right-size efforts accordingly. The emergency operation center is expected to return to a level three activation, or monitoring phase, on Friday, August 13. Staff will remain engaged in daily operations as needed. Beach video updates, Mediacom Channel 27 presentations and news releases will end to correspond with the lowered EOC activation level. Web site updates will continue at www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill.
· Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners and their staff are committed to ensuring that long-term recovery efforts are taken to restore our shorelines and economic, health and environmental needs are addressed. In the event of any new major developments, emergency management will activate the emergency operations center and its support functions as needed and news releases will be issued as warranted to safeguard our county.

Situation Update· Navarre Beach and Santa Rosa’s entire coastline is open for swimming and fishing. Two links to live Web cams on Navarre Beach are available at www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill under the “Links for Visitors” tab.
· There are currently no swimming or fishing restrictions on Navarre Beach or anywhere in Santa Rosa County.
· Today, August 12, a post storm assessment by the BP contractor reported that tar balls were spotted on Navarre Beach. Clean up crews responded.
· BP will host an Oil Response Information Fair on Saturday, August 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gulf Breeze Recreational Center located at 800 Shoreline Drive. The fair is meant to create a comfortable environment for the public to have one-on-one conversations with representatives about oil spill response efforts. The fair is free to the public and will be catered by Billy Bob’s Beach Barbecue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information contact Molly Patterson at (850) 691-9116.

Health
For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill under the “Health” tab.
· University of West Florida shoreline water samples for August 9 showed no dissolved petroleum contaminants detected above what is normal at the Navarre Pier or at Santa Rosa Island.
· The August 10 water sampling report from The Department of Environmental Protection showed that there were no dispersants found on Navarre beach and no petroleum-related contaminants found by Navarre Beach Park.

Booms
· All boom has been removed.

BP Claims
For more information, including how to file a claim, visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill under the
“Claims” tab.
· BP claims in Florida total 37,835 with approximately $68,278.617.48 paid.
· BP claims in Santa Rosa County total 5,170 with approximately $9,645,146 paid.

Small Business Disaster & Bridge Loans
For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill under the “Business” tab.
· Total Loan Applications: Issued: 756 Accepted: 258 Declined: 104 Approved: 49Loan amount approved: $4,715,700.00

Fishing

For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill under the “Boating, Fishing and Wildlife” tab.· All Santa Rosa County waters are currently open to fishing.
· NOAA re-opened 5,144 square miles of area it had previously closed for finfish only on August 10. Fishing for non-finfish species, such as shrimp, is still prohibited in this area. The area closed to all fishing now measures 52,395 square miles and covers about 22 percent of the Gulf of Mexico economic zone. All commercial and recreational fishing including catch and release is prohibited in the closed area. For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill under the “Boating, Fishing and Wildlife tab.”

Thunder Thunder everywhere, but nary a drop of rain

The localized thunderstorms here never cease to amaze me.  When I left the driveway the other morning it was dry and sunny at my house, but one mile straight down the road is was POURING down rain and foggy/misty!  That always amuses me.  The same held true with yesterday's storms.  It thundered and rumbled and threatened for hours last night, but Navarre only saw .02 inches of rain, and the beach, hardly that.  Although there was quite the light show off shore from 11pm- 2am!

It's that time of year in Florida.  The afternoons become so sultry that the cicadas don't even bother chattering away.  So steamy that storms pop up in the blink of an eye, and clear away just as fast.  The heat index early this week promises to keep up searching for a cool place to hide, with highs around 110 again.  (True temps in the lower 90s.)  There is a chance of storms every day.  The GOM is quiet for now, but a Low pressure that promises to form off to our EAST on the tail of a cold front has tropics watcher's attention.  It is not uncommon for these to develop into short notice tropical blows.  So, we'll all watch for that as it forms off to our east and moves west towards LA (that's Louisiana for our out of town visitors) on Tuesday.

As for the beach, it looks lovely again.  Waters are calm this morning, but surf will be increasing today.  Due to the direction of the winds and currents, the rip current risk will be on the increase as well. So keep an eye on the flag warning system and educate the guests on their meaning.  A passing reminder to swim near the lifeguards never hurts either.

BP continues to pump cement down the well.  So far all reports are on the favorable side.  I've even noticed the media has slowed down on any reporting.  CNN.com no longer has the oil issue as a permanent resident on their home page in the upper left corner. In fact, there is just one tiny mention near the bottom: "Oil Spill is Over, right?". Foxnews.com has nothing on their homepage.  The Santa Rosa County Emergency Management has stopped issuing daily news blasts.  Weartv.com, which is local, still has it's coastal crisis link on the homepage, but the news behind the link is non-existant.  It's a collection of links to aid sites.  Be it a tiresome old story, news weariness, apathy, or disinterest in the oil since the well is capped and it's no longer spewing crude into the Gulf, the oil is still of interest here.

We aren't being bombarded with questions on and off the beach everyday, but we still need to be aware of the situation.  While the surface oil seems to be a non issue, there are still tarballs washing up in places, and will continue to do so.  (not here in abundance) And there is oil from the landfall in June that gets uncovered with heavy surf.  And then there is the issue of BP oil payments.

That is becoming the new story.  I'm getting more and more questions on the beach about that as I interact with more and more people from MS,AL,  and LA that are coming out here for their "quick before school starts" vacations.  They ask how BP is dealing with payments out here. They wonder if FL is being treated like those in the more heavily hit zones to our West.  Some think it's not fair that FL got money at all.  Some in FL think it's not fair that the $ given to FL went to tourism for the WHOLE state, and not just the panhandle.  Now with BP announcing that payments will not be made for the month of MAY for Florida, before the oil hit, things are steamy on that front.( http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/claims-31720-florida-losses.html )  And round and round it goes.  This is one of those situations that you just need to listen.  People really need to vent, and bounce their opinion on someone and know it's being heard.  If you share your opinion on the matter, make sure you say it's YOUR opinion. :)

The great circle of life. Sigh.

Even though it's hot enough out to melt tar, I hope you all are able to get out and enjoy the beach.  Being out there everyday, and dealing with heat indexes of over 100 since early June, I'm really starting to look forward to November-February.  Then we can all complain about it being so cold that the lizards are falling from the trees!

Have fun, be safe, and share the knowledge!

Good Sultry Morning to you !

Yes, it's going to be another sizzling hot and humid day.  We have a better chance for pop up showers today than in the past couple of days, so be prepared for that.  Colin struggles to be anything more than a tropical wave at this point.  But he'll retain him name until the absolute end.  Again, we watch and wait.

Static Kill was started late yesterday afternoon.  So far so good, knock wood.  In a few days they will start the hard kill from the side relief wells.

Fishing off the Alabama coast is now back open. Recreation Fishing and shrimping have been given the go ahead in Mobile Bay as water tests continue to come in clear.  So we can all hope.

The first batch of relocated sea turtle eggs (not ours) have hatched and been released on the East coast of Florida.  Fair well our little green flipper friends.  We hope to see you back in 10-12 years!  Fair winds and following seas.

The beach looks great, ignoring the June Grass....grumble grumble.  The BP crews are working down WEST of 12 today, and then clear down at the other end.  They have less than 30 people on our beach today, which is great news.  They're down there cleaning up stuff that is old and being uncovered by wave action.  They were debating on what to do with a dead suckerfish.  I asked if it was oiled or just dead.  It was just dead.  Circle of life, something will come along and eat it.  I wonder if they stick going down?  Seriously, the nicest group of people considering they are dressed like arctic explorers, but are working in the sub tropics.

One of the crews spotted a swimming larger turtle, heading towards P'cola, OC.  I didn't see it, so I've got no ID for you.

D'OH ! I was so busy chatting and meeting with BP that I forgot to get an ocean shot today! Sorry about that.

I hope you are all having a wonderful time when you do get out.  Let me know if there are any questions, concerns, or areas you'd like to see addressed.

Stay safe and have fun!

All the IDs are now completed.  They are at the firehouse.

A small leak in a hydraulic line during a test for static kill has delayed the attempt.  We've waited this long, I guess we can soldier on longer.

 

The beach looks fabulous again today.  The mini gnats are in full force.  The June Grass is in the swim zone down by WO1 and 2, but much clearer down by 3 and 3H.  There are storms just off the coast this morning, but I didn't hear any thunder.  The rain yesterday certainly didn't cool us down, but my house geckos and tree frogs are enjoying the explosion of flying insects.  SPEAKING of which, what's up with the migration and mating frenzy of the dragonflies the last couple of day?!  Cool, eh?  OH, and looks like we are up to turtle nest #6, with a nest to the EAST of WO 1.  It's clear up on the dune line.

 TS Colin is now swirling amok in the Atlantic.  As things stand now, a frontal system should, hopefully steer it off the east coast of the US, and back out to sea, and a dry slot may keep it a Tropical Storm.  BUT we all know that can change in the blink of an eye.  So we'll do what we always do, hurry up and wait. 

Today we have an Excessive Heat Watch.  Which means we've gone from Dangerously Oppressive, to Repulsively Sticky.  Heat indexes will continue to be in the 105-113 range.  You know the drill: Water, loose fitting clothing, sunscreen, and take it slowly.

Unless I think of something amazing this afternoon, that's all I've got for you.

Have a great day!

Hot Cha cha cha!

Yes, another blazing HOT and HUMID day awaits us.  I am as tired of it as you are.  Especially as I got my Gulf Power Bill Friday.  WOW.  But worth every penny.

Thank you to Mindi for taking on the new SURF facebook page.  I told her she could take her time hooking it up and then run with it.  As soon as she has it up and running, I'll link the blog to it.  For those of you that have cells that Internet, I love facebook for that up to the minute stuff. 

The Gulf remains dreamy.  There just isn't anywhere cool to escape too.  Even the water is more than bathtub warm.  We tried escaping to the pool yesterday, when the heat index hit 119, but the pool water was 98 and felt less like a chill spot and more like cannibal stew.  But the company was good.

BP intends to start the kill shot today.  We'll see how that goes.

Beyond that, it was a quiet - albeit- crowded weekend at the beach.  Tourist were surprised to spot sharks.  Hey, it's their ocean. We don't keep them in a jar somewhere.  One lady squealed like a stuck pig when she was touched by a small school of bait fish. I thought she was going to jump right out of her suit.  They were just looking for shade.  "OMGosh" "It's a FISH!" Giggle....

And here's a great story from CNN.  Just a cool story that shows the power of the currents in the GOM.  http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/07/28/pkg.backpack.lost.cuba.wwl?hpt=T2

Weather in the Atlantic is perking up, or down, depending on your view of the whole hurricane season.

So there ya have it. It's hot, slow, and sticky.

 Is it muscadine jelly season yet?

Today's one of those days I tip my hat to our ancestors.  It's 9am, and it already feels like 98 with the humidity.  No wonder the Spanish moss just hangs off the trees! It's too hot and sticky to hug them!  Imagine yourself in 1860, a time before AC, regular bathing, a good Maytag Machine, deodorants, and shampoos.  Now imagine getting up in the morning, putting on under garments, stockings, pettipants, a corset, a shift, several layers of skirts and then an over dress.  No wonder they were all tiny people, they lived in their own sweat boxes!  Just the thought of all that makes me cringe.  As for the men, if you were LUCKY you had a cotton suit of clothes for the summer, but odds are it was wool.  Oh, well you say you can go with out the jacket if it gets hot!  That would have been downright indecent !  LOL!

I mean can you just imagine?!  It makes me want to wilt just thinking about it!

If you're going out today, make sure you take it slowly and drink plenty of water.

Tomorrow is another round of training for newcomers, from 1-2:30 at the science station.  So if you know anyone interested, have them call the number listed in the green area above.  Some of the AmeriCorps volunteers will be there as well. 

With the well head capped, we have noticed a significant number of the questions shifting away from the oil and anything to do with it, and more towards local life, things to do/eat, and local animal life, especially turtles turtles turtles.  The training will reflect that.  Remember this is a year round volunteer opportunity.  We plan on providing a service to the beach long after the oil.

That said, the beaches look fabulous, the water continues to be clear, and this weekend is shaping up to be a great beach weekend.  We are currently at GREEN Flag for water conditions. Y'all be safe and have a super day!

Static Kill

BP's plan to finally block the broken well head of Deep Horizon are set to begin on August 2nd.  At that time a concrete platform  and casing will be poured around the broken head.  Five days following that- when the concrete has hardened, August 7th, the heavy mud  will be sent down the intersecting relief shafts to hopefully seal this mess off for good - bottom kill.  Here's hoping for calm seas.

What is heavy mud?  I learned from the show Dirty Jobs that when you drill you need to replace what you are taking out of the well with a liquid of equal density.  HA ! That makes it about as clear as mud, eh?  For an easy to understand explanation on WHAT heavy mud is and how it works. This is for a different well, but is a great page of information. http://www.coogeeresources.com.au/uploads/PTTEP%20Fact%20sheet%20-%20heavy%20mud%20and%20the%20relief%20well%203.pdf

I had no one on the schedule for yesterday and today. I have several for the next few days.  I know, it's hot enough to make a fish sweat.  With water over 90' at the beach, they very well could be.  If you find that you want to go out for just a couple of hours in the early morning, or late in the evening, SUPER!!  I'm a 6-9 kind of girl, PM that is.  You'd be amazed at how may people are down at the beach in the evening, when the sun starts to crash.  That said, it's dark down there.  Keep safety in mind.  Carry a flashlight so you don't trip on a crab, or do what I did and walk right off the top of a sand cut.  That was a wet eye opener!

HOT HOT HOT and HUMID are the buzz of the week.  The tropics remain quiet, the beaches and water clean, except for the abundant June Grass. At least we don't have it as thick as Destin has had it this week! Mercy have you seen those photos?  Their water looks like they're swimming in a Wheat Grass Milkshake! ICK! These are shots that were sent to NWFDaily News http://nwfdailynews.emeraldcoastphotoswest.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1047765&CategoryID=28208&ListSubAlbums=0

Have a safe and fabulous day !

Another steamy day is in store for us, again with heat indexes over 100.  Scattered to numerous storms await us today from late morning on.  Then the rest of the week should behave itself and be sunny and hot.  The tropics are quiet.

The ocean is clear and the surf is lovely. Although we are still plagued by June Grass.

As promised here is the information for the next training session.  Feel free to copy, cut and paste this in your email to send out to those you think might me interested.

SURF Volunteers Sought for Navarre Beach

A volunteer opportunity for those wishing to assist at Navarre Beach and the oil spill response is now available. Shoreline Users Resource Force, or SURF volunteers, will be stationed on Navarre Beach to provide information and answer questions about beach and water safety, coastal habitats, wildlife, clean-up response, beach conditions, coastal habitats, wildlife, seafood safety and the Navarre Beach “Leave No Trace Behind” ordinance to beach visitors and residents. Volunteers will also help with oil reconnaissance by watching and reporting changing beach conditions. Due to the complex nature of oil cleanup, coupled with health and safety concerns, volunteers are not allowed to participate in clean-up activities.

Teams of volunteers will be stationed at public beach access walkovers, Navarre Beach Park and the pier for three hour shifts from 9 a.m. to noon, noon to 3 p.m. or 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. A 1.5 hour training course is required for all volunteers. A training course will be offered at the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station located at the Navarre Beach Park at 8638 Blue Heron Court on Friday, July 30, 2010 from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

To register for the training courses, contact Santa Rosa County Help Thy Neighbor Volunteer Center at (850) 983-5223 or brsvpsantarosa@mchsi.com. For more information contact: Chris Verlinde, 850-623-3868 or chrismv ufl.edu

 

I just got back from the beach and man O MAN, is it pretty out there.  I saw my first large flock of pelicans that I've spotted since early Spring, a group of 13, that sure felt good.  The beaches down through the park and through walk over 4 are filling up nicely today!

Here's one of those "pop up" showers I was talking about.  Hope you weren't at Walmart when this drippy one rolled by!

Have a wonderful day!

Bye Bye Bonnie

As I sit here this morning, Bonnie struggles to be anything more than a tired blob.  Even the ocean is calm this morning. As of 9 am, she is South of Panama City beach, and out a few hundred miles.   I'm pleased as punch about that.  The beach and water is clear, with out winds from the East.  And as the threat passes in the next day, the main BP teams on the rigs and the skimmers, and well head crews will get back to the task at hand.

Tropical Storm Warnings have been cancelled.We do have a chance of wind gusts later today, as well as rain and thunder as what is left of Bonnie passes to our South and West. And we also have a chance of WaterSpouts later, so be on the lookout for those if you are out.
I am hoping to see increased traffic at the beach now that the immanent threat of a Tropical Blow has passed.  Wave action may increase as the winds shift and start to come from the South.And from the National Weather Service.
"SAT JUL 24 2010 /355 AM CDT SAT JUL 24 2010/
...A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS EXPECTED TODAY IS IN EFFECT FROM 2
PM EDT /1 PM CDT/ THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING...
INCREASING WINDS AND SEAS OUT ACROSS THE GULF WATERS DUE TO
TROPICAL DEPRESSION BONNIE PASSING TO THE SOUTH WILL LEAD TO
BUILDING SURF AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE PANHANDLE
BEACHES TODAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WIND AND SURF CONDITIONS WILL SUPPORT DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS
TODAY. RIP CURRENTS ARE LIFE THREATENING TO ANYONE ENTERING THE
WATER."


I only have one funny story to share and then I'll let you go on your way.  It's not a SURF story, but a fishing one.  While fishing the other night with my son, the lack of nibbles drove him to boredom.  He asked to go see what the other kids at the end of the pier were catching.  So he went to the other side of the octagon, where a boy his age had just pulled in a large sucker fish, a remora, which hang out under the pier, sucking on the pylons.  Anyway, they got it off the hook and the bugger suctioned itself to the concrete.  Watching two boys trying to get a determined slimy fish off concrete was just about the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.  Then it got funnier.

 I heard," Wouldn't it be funny if we got him loose and stuck him to that guy's back?"  HA !  There was a man fishing about 10 feet away, sunburned, no shirt and now I was envisioning him having to explain to his wife why he had this enormous sucker hickey on his back. " Honest honey, I was out fishing!"  Although with as hot as it was, maybe a giant wet slimy fish on his back would feel great.  (hmmmm, new cooling invention you might see on late night TV. "Call in now and order your one of a kind, super cool cooling fish. Just $29.95! When you're done with him, you've got a handy dinner for two!") Luckily for him, they thought it out and tossed fishy back into the emerald deep.

Kids.

If you're going out today; drink your water, use that sunscreen, wear your hat, have fun and share the knowledge.

WE MADE FOX NEWS !

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/17/gulf-state-businesses-growth-despite-oil-spill/

Sunny Saturday Morning to you!

As I sit and write this the sun is blazing on my workstation. As I switch over to the web cam and radar, I see it's POURING at the beach, just two miles away. Amazing isn't it?? Expect it to be that way all day. Some of you will be sunny, some up to your armpits in liquid sunshine. Hang in there. Please head towards safety if you hear thunder or see lightning.

A special Hail and Farewell to the Kohlers, who are now head back home to the great state of Georgia. Thank you for sharing your vacation with us and taking the time to come down and support our beaches. We hope you take home great memories and experiences. Stay in touch and feel free to join up with us again. The turtle safe life is always on.

Since no one has emailed or phoned in any more questions/concerns/ or great stories in the past couple of days, I'll share mine.

After checking the 12 +1 WO yesterday, and sneaking a peek at some of you in action :) (great job everybody!), I wandered out to the pier. I had a lovely conversation with a family from Belgium. It was during this conversation that we saw a rather large, large, shark only 200 yards off the beach, swimming FROM the beach. (That always gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling.) We saw large rays, a couple of Tarpon, a pod of frolicking dolphins, and they were amazed at the strings of bait fish coming in and the size of the mackerel. I spoke with over 30 people on my short walk out and back, fixed one fishing reel, and removed the hook from the back of a pair of shorts from a wayward cast. It seemed that all conversations were pleasantly devoid of the whole oil topic. I must say, I found it a refreshing change. A smaller 4 foot shark just off the piling, almost dead center of the photo.

June Grass continues to plague the surf zone to about 100-200 yards out. Yesterday it was clumping, so some beach areas were actually clear of the Neptunian snot.

Keep up the great work everyone. Please remember to stop by the firehouse and sign up for future shifts. The book is starting to look a little blank. Also, tell your friends and neighbors about the program. Chris plans to have another training session when she gets back into town. So tune in here for that date.
Dolphins enjoying an Atlantic Croaker afternoon snack. (do not enlarge to fill screen, not a high enough resolution to see it well)

Welcome to SURF - Navarre Beach, Florida

This is a great place to bookmark and check often for information and links to increase your knowledge of not only the beach, but the ongoing situation in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

S.U.R.F. - or Shoreline Users Resource Force is a volunteer force that acts both as a public relations force and a source of valuable information for the visitors to our beach, both resident and tourist.

We are NOT cleaning oiled wildlife, oiled beach, or water. To volunteer, you must attend one three hour training/information session. To qualify, you need only to love our beach, and be ready to converse with beach guests and answer a wide variety of questions.

We cover the Public beach areas of Santa Rosa County, from the Eglin Reserve to the East to the Gulf Island National Seashore to the West; the 14 public walk-overs to the ocean. Organized and overseen by SeaGrant Florida, Santa Rosa County, the Santa Rosa County Volunteer Center, University of Florida IFAS Extension, and the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station.

(Links on this Blog are NOT offical recognition, endorsement, or association of any authority or municipality with the group. Just a quick access point to useful information.)

For more information, or to Volunteer, click, email, or call >

Chrismv@ufl.edu

(850) 777-7884

or

(850) 623-3868

http://www.navarresciencestation.org/
Navarre Marine Science Station

Chris Verlinde