I know, I said I was going to cut back.

But it's just too much fun.

Golly Gee Willikers did it rain this morning?  Talk about tropical rainfall!  I wonder if when it's raining THAT hard, when a dolphin comes up for air, do they choke a little.  I'm sure not, but it's something to ponder.  I mean, when access to your lungs is on the top of your head and it's raining.....hmmmmmm.

Anyway, since our downpour, the skies are clearing up.  There remains the chance for showers and thunder all day, again.  Of course the heat and humidity will be ever present as well.  And again the atmosphere is ripe for waterspouts.  So if you go out, keep your eyes open.

The entire weekend is setting up to be a carbon copy of today.  I hope many of you choose to schedule yourself some time on the beach.  The breeze is actually making it tolerable down there. And don't forget to say HI to the AmeriCorps Volunteers.

The beach is lovely.  The June Grass continues and has moved into the swim zone.  There are some clear areas out there, but for the most part, where there is JGrass, it's heavy.

The concrete kill of the well head is so far so good.  Let's continue to keep our fingers crossed for the effort and for the continued fair weather in the GOM so they can keep working.  We have been SO lucky so far on that front, it makes me want to go out and buy a lottery ticket !  They expect the relief well to be finished sometime next week. 

Snatched from the Santa Rosa Site- Turtle nest information

Turtle nesting from 6/22 (day 45 of 60 day incubation) Three turtle nests including a rare Kemps Ridley nest

Turtle nesting from 7/03 (day 32 of 60 day incubation)

Turtle nesting at P2 7/16 (day20 of 60 day incubation)

I was able to take advantage of yesterday evening's cooler temps.  The heat index was only 103', so I took the boy out fishing on the Pier.  King Mackerels are still hot for the lines.  The pompano are starting to make a better show.  The bait fishing was slow the first hour, but really picked up the second and third.  We pulled in over 25 LARGE hardtail, over 10 inches nose to notch, and 5 12 inch plus ladyfish.   The guy next to us, only halfway down the pier, was shark fishing.  Again, that warm fuzzy feeling.  Yes, I know they're OUT there, but I don't want to KNOW they're out there! LOL!  I think I've watched too much SharkWeek this week.  Do you think bull sharks can come up the shower drain? hmmmmm.........

I'd like to wave to our imaginary friend that's logged in from furthest away so far, HELLO SOUTH AFRICA !

Ladyfish

On that note, I'm going to pop off line to vacuum, dust, and do the laundry.  See?  I'm NOT at the beach all the time! Have a wonderful weekend, stop by the firehouse and sign up for a couple of shifts, stay safe and have fun!

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)