It is that time of year again. Spring Break brings locals and visitors back to the beach for fun in the sun. It is important to remind folks that part of having fun is playing it safe. At the beach, this means knowing and following some pretty basic safety guidelines.
Not all beaches have lifeguards present, you have to be responsible for your own safety. When visiting the beach, it is important to consider the tide and surf conditions. To minimize the risks of drowning or serious injury, a uniform warning flag program was developed for use by Florida’s beachfront communities. Florida’s beach warning flag program uses flags in four colors accompanied by interpretive signs along the beach to explain the meaning of each color in both English and Spanish. Please follow the guidelines and flags posted.
You also need to check for the presence of rip currents. Rip currents are powerful currents of water moving away from the shore. They can pull even a strong swimmer out to sea. It is best to not enter the water where a rip current is present. However, if you find yourself caught in one, try to relax and don’t fight the current, swim out of the current parallel to the shore and swim to shore when you no longer feel the pull of the current.
Protect your skin. Just one blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person’s chance for developing melanoma later in life. Racking up more than five sunburns at any age also doubles the risk for melanoma. Keep sunburn at bay by properly applying sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. Try to spend some time in the shade, wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes. Remember to hydrate by drinking plenty of water too.
It is good to know a little bit about and appreciate the ocean life you might meet on the beach. Shark attacks aren’t common, especially in shallow shore areas, but always be on the lookout. Shells on mussels, clams and oysters can be very sharp so be careful walking near them. Some species of jellyfish have tentacles that contain venom and can sting you. Avoid them if you can. Learn about the animals you will find at the beach and you will be able to co-exist with little risk.
Many ocean creatures need our protection. Sea turtles and many shorebirds are protected and there are things you can do to help them. For sea turtles, keep the beach clean (remove all trash and furniture), dark (turn off lights on beach and don’t use flashlights) and flat (fill in any holes you dig so that turtles don’t become trapped). In fact, it’s recommended that you take only pictures and leave only footprints. Stay away from nesting shorebird habitat. Many beaches do not allow you to bring your pets to the beach for health and safety reasons and to protect venerable wildlife. Be sure to know the rules before you bring Fido to the beach.
Finally, please help keep the beach tidy. When your visit is over, take back everything you brought. Food scraps attract unwanted animals, fishing line injures and kills birds and other wildlife and plastic is harmful to both the environment and the animals that sometimes mistake it for food. Abandoned beach furniture and toys can obstruct sea turtle nesting and hatching. The best policy is to leave the beach cleaner than you found it.
Have a good time at the beach. Take a little time to learn and follow the safety rules that are there for your protection. Practice good citizenship by caring for and conserving the beach and ocean ecosystems in order to keep them beautiful in the present and for future generations.
Many counties in the panhandle have lighting and barrier ordinances to protect wildlife and workers. Photo: Rick O’Connor
Follow these beach safety tips for helping your family enjoy the beach while protecting coastal wildlife.
White Shark (Carcharhinus carcharias). Credit: Florida Sea Grant Stock Photo
From Fear to Fascination: White Sharks in the Florida Panhandle
UF/IFAS Extension – Florida Sea Grant
By Rick O’Connor (Escambia County) and L. Scott Jackson (Bay County)
Recently, I was walking on our local Gulf fishing pier checking fishing line recycle bins. You can’t walk on a Gulf pier without looking over to possibly catch a glimpse of a sea turtle or a shark, and I was not disappointed. It was hard to tell which species of shark but it was about 6 feet in length. It swam south along the edge of the pier and then east to make a large arching circle through the emerald water, past bathers at the surf break, and back to the pier only to swim the pattern again. Onlookers from out-of-town were giggling with delight to see the animal while a couple of local fishermen tried tossing bait at it, but most ignored it and went on with their fishing.
Bob Shipp’s book, Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, lists 29 species of shark found locally. Most are members of the requiem shark family, such as blacktips and bulls, and hammerheads. Though these sharks are certainly capable of attacking humans, their presence usually does not interrupt water activities. Divers who encounter sharks may be startled at first but rarely do they end their dive or have problems with them. Even in 2005, remembered as the “summer of the shark attack”, few people stopped diving or surfing. Individuals have become educated regarding shark behavior and are not as startled when they see one. However, in 2015 there were several encounters with White Sharks.
Sightings in the Gulf of Mexico are rare but usually occur in the cooler months. Is the increased interaction with White Sharks unusual or something to worry about?
Burgess assured me that White Sharks do occur in the Gulf of Mexico usually during cooler months and are transients, as opposed to residents. Their movement in and out of the Gulf is temperature driven. As late spring Gulf waters continue to warm into early summer, sighting a White Shark is less likely to occur. According to Burgess, White Sharks use deep water when traveling but prefer shallow water when hunting fish, turtles, and marine mammals. So, inshore encounters especially in cooler months would not be unusual.
Why is there a sudden increase in the numbers of encounters?
One part of the answer lies with the increased number of White Sharks. Conservation of sharks has been effective. Additionally, with the passing of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, there are more marine mammals, thus an increase in their predators, White Sharks. The other part is the number of humans visiting the northern Gulf has increased. There are more more visitors to marine waters, especially since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Everyone has a camera. Beachgoers, Swimmers, Divers, and Anglers all have improved technology to record their adventures.
Is Northwest Florida a “hot spot” for White Sharks? Burgess indicated that the northern Gulf of Mexico is more productive than the peninsular Florida due to the number of nutrient rich rivers in the region. Seeing more White Sharks here would not be any more unusual than finding more snapper, lionfish, or other species of shark. As far as worrying, there have been no records of White Shark attacks in the northern Gulf of Mexico since they began keeping records in 1872.
Finally, what does one do if they encounter a White Shark?
The quick answer is nothing different than with any other shark. It is true that most White Shark attacks occur at the surface but there are no records of any attacks in Florida. Burgess indicated that the Bull Shark is probably a bigger threat than the White Shark. For more information about Bull Sharks and general tips to avoid a negative shark encounter read this articlehttps://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/sharktips
In a recent video, recorded near Apalachicola, a diver was on an anchor line on a decompression stop when he saw a White Shark approaching from depth. What should a diver do in this situation? Should they swim for the surface and risk decompression sickness, remain still, or return to the bottom?
The answer has a lot to do with what the shark is actually doing. Is the shark interested in the diver or acting aggressively? Burgess suggests, you assess the situation and the shark’s behavior. All options are on the table and have to be weighed against the consequences given in this scenario. As a last resort, a diver may need to make a quick but graceful exit out of the water, past the shark, and depend on their diving partners to render aid as needed. The lesson is for divers to be prepared for a variety of potential issues on every dive.
We began our series on Nature Tourism along the ICW at the Alabama state line on Perdido Key and discussed the ICW itself. This month we will continue in Escambia County with a visit to Pensacola Beach.
The dune fields of panhandle barrier islands are awesome – some reaching over 50 ft. in height. This one is near the Big Sabine hike (notice white PVC markers).
The cannons of Ft. Pickens protected the entrance into Pensacola Bay. The views of the western end of Santa Rosa Island are great from here. There is plenty of nature and history to be discovered at this park. Plan to stay the day.
BARRIER ISLANDS
Pensacola Beach is on Santa Rosa Island. The longest barrier island in the panhandle, Santa Rosa Island stretches 44 miles from Ft. Pickens, at Pensacola Pass, to Destin Pass in Okaloosa County. With miles of some of the whitest beaches in the world, these panhandle islands have a variety of ecosystems. The mineral that makes the beach so white is quartz, one of the minerals found in granite rock. Over eons weathering and erosion has released these minerals from the granite in the Appalachians and sent it downstream to the Gulf coast. The densities of the different minerals force it to settle out at different rates. Quartz, being one of the less dense minerals, reaches the Gulf of Mexico where it encounters longshore currents. In the panhandle these currents more often run east to west moving the quartz in that direction. This sand forms bars and shallows which made colonial navigation a problem and good hiding places for pirates. Some of the bars remain above sea level and form dune fields and plant communities, forming barrier islands. Many animals, such as shorebirds and sea turtles, seek these islands for nesting because of few predators. The xeric conditions favor reptiles and birds, but there are many mammals and insects as well. Freshwater ponds form on many of the islands and here amphibians and fish came claim territory. The high energy beach of the Gulf side supports a community of subterranean organisms which include the mole crab (sand flea) and coquina. The low energy bay side harbors salt marshes along the shoreline and seagrass meadows below the surface. These habitats support a rich variety of marine life, some of the most productive in the world.
The Florida Trail extends (in sections) over 1,300 miles from Ft. Pickens to the Florida Everglades. It begins at this point.
PENSACOLA BEACH
There are many places on Pensacola Beach where visitors can enjoy these natural places. At the west end of the island is Ft. Pickens, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Within the park you will find beaches to comb, piers to view wildlife and fish, jetties to fish or dive, fortifications to view the island, and a nice museum to educate you on both the natural and cultural history of the area. Here the Florida Trail begins. This trail is segmented and stretches from Ft. Pickens to the Everglades, but here it stops at Battery Langdon; it can be hiked or biked. Along the trail there are freshwater ponds and sections of maritime forest with a variety of wildlife viewing and photography. The multiple loop campground is found on this trail.
Between these pilings at Park West is one of the county snorkel reefs. Visibility is tough but the fish are there.
There is a kayak launch at Park West as well.
Just outside the entrance to the park is a county park named Park West. Here there is a kayak launch and nearshore snorkel reef on the bay side, with picnic area and beaches on the Gulf.
In Pensacola Beach proper there are several businesses that rent paddleboards for paddling the shallow seagrass filled Little Sabine. There are two marinas which offer sailing, fishing, and diving charters as well as dolphin tours. There are numerous artificial reefs off of Pensacola including the world’s largest – the U.S.S. Oriskany. On the Gulf side you will find the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier where not only can you fish but, at times, see marine life. Sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, and large fish are often seen. The sunsets are great here. At the Visitors Center you can get a map to follow the Eco-Trail. This driving trail of 28 kiosks will take you to natural spots and the kiosks provide education about the area. There is a prize if you complete the trail.
Heading east from Pensacola Beach you once again pick up a portion of the Florida Trail. At this location there is a bike path, which can be walked or biked. Park East houses a popular nearshore snorkel reef. This snorkel reef is on the Gulf side and there are beach markers to help the diver locate it. On the bay side is Big Sabine. This area of high dunes and salt marsh has no formal trail but there are PVC pipes placed to help navigate your way in and out.
The paddleboard entry to Little Sabine can be found next to the Pensacola Beach Marina.
The Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier is not only a great spot to catch fish, it’s a great spot to see marine life – and great sunsets.
Further east you once again enter the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Escambia County is lucky to have almost 50% of their portion of the island within this national park. There are miles of natural beach to explore but you must use the public parking lots (no roadside parking) and watch your speed, this area supports several species of nesting shorebirds – some of which are listed as imperiled in the state of Florida.
The Santa Rosa island Authority’s Eco-Trail has 28 kiosk to navigate and learn about the natural history of the island. It is a fun and educational car trip. You can get the map for this trail at the visitors center on Pensacola Beach.
To learn more about nature and farm tourism in Escambia County visit www.NaturallyEscaRosa.comand download the free app at the App Store or Google Play
Next month – Santa Rosa County.
Aligning these markers will assist the snorkeler/diver in locating the Gulf snorkel reef at Park East. The swim is a bit further than Park West but the visibility is much better.
More and more visitors to the Gulf coast are seeking nature encounters when on vacation. Of course there are still the amusement park fans but there is an increasing number interested in visiting “The Real Florida” that our state park system promotes. Actually, I have found that many lifelong residents of the Florida panhandle have not visited many of the scenic natural areas of our state.
Looking from the kayak launch at Johnson’s Beach you can see across the ICW to Big Lagoon State Park. This body of water has seagrass and salt marshes along 12 miles of natural shoreline ending at an old fortification that can only be accessed by boat. There is plenty of snorkeling, birding, and fishing to do along the way.
At the kayak launch at Johnson’s Beach is a short trail through the dunes of Perdido Key. You will be able to view a variety of plants and birds, or maybe, as I did, find a large coachwhip basking on a dune.
There is no doubt that to conserve something you need to love it… and to love it you need to experience it. We think if you visit some of our natural areas you will fall in love with the area and hopefully we can conserve much of it. Nature-based tourism is a way to support the local economy but we need natural areas for this to happen… fishing is not much fun without fish.
So we are going to begin a series of posts highlighting some of the nature-based tourism locations that visitors and locals can enjoy throughout the panhandle – from dunes of the coast to the forest of “north-end”. To begin the series, we will follow the Intracoastal Waterway from the Alabama state line to the Aucilla River (basically the Florida Panhandle). We begin at the western tip… Perdido Key. But first let’s talk about the Intracoastal Waterway itself.
Southwind Marina is found on the northside of the ICW across from Perdido Key. For the visitor who is interested in fishing or diving the vessels can reach the Gulf in just a few minutes. Some dive charters will take you to spear lionfish.
INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY
The concept of the Intracoastal Waterway(ICW) dates back to the 19th century but construction on the northern Gulf section began in 1925. The ICW begins in Brownsville TX along the U.S. coastline to Carrabelle, FL. From here you follow a series of markers across the open Gulf to Anclote Key (near Tampa) where again the inland ICW heads to Ft. Myers. There is a canal that cuts across to Lake Okeechobee, and the east coast of Florida, but many boaters take the Florida Keys route. If crossing the state through the lake you will arrive at Jupiter Inlet on the east coast the ICW which travels north from here to Virginia – a total of about 3000 miles. The waterway was developed to make commercial shipping safer. Plans to cut a canal across north Florida from the Crystal River to the St. Augustine area never happened. The ICW consists of manmade canals, protected lagoons and sounds, and open sections of local bays.
In the Florida panhandle the ICW begins at the state line in Perdido Bay. It follows a narrow section of water north of what the locals call “Old River” between Ono Island AL and Innerarity Point FL. It eventually enters Big Lagoon in Escambia County before crossing the lower portion of Pensacola Bay. It is this portion of the ICW we will focus on in this article.
Escambia County Division of Marine Resources has provided three inshore snorkel reefs for the visitor who would like to experience a reef diving but is not a certified diver. The reefs can be found by aligning the blue square and yellow triangle on the beach. This one is on Perdido Key near Johnson’s Beach.
The yellow triangle used to locate the reef while you are swimming. These nearshore reefs have a variety of small reef fish and occasionally, in the warmer months, a sea turtle may visit.
PERDIDO KEY
Perdido Key is a 15-mile-long barrier island stretching from the mouth of Perdido Bay to “Ft. McRae” near NAS Pensacola in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The western end is actually in Alabama. The state line is near Ono Island and the famous Flora-Bama Bar. North of the Key is “Old River”, then Ono Island AL, then the ICW itself, and eventually Innerarity Point FL. For the nature tourist you have miles of white sandy beaches to the south which are great for shell collecting, birding, and fishing. In the summer the beach comber can find ghost crabs, flowers, and maybe a nesting sea turtle. The “river” side of the island has numerous small islets and seagrass beds that offer good birding, snorkeling, and fishing. Be aware though to stay out of the ICW here. It is very narrow and the passing barges are very large. Dive flags are required of snorkelers in Florida. There is a public kayak launch on the north side along “Old River”. Perdido Key is home to the endangered Perdido Key Beach Mouse. Many locals have lived on the island all of their lives and have not seen one… maybe you will be lucky!
As Perdido Key Drive heads north off of the Key you will find a small side road leading to Johnson’s Beachand a section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Just as you turn onto Johnson’s Beach Road you will find Sandy Key Road to the south. There is a public access point here and a public nearshore snorkel reef provided by Escambia County. These Gulf side reefs attract a variety of small reef fish, including many tropicals, as well as larger species such as sheepshead and snapper. Be sure to have your dive flag with you.
This public kayak ramp is found on the north side of Perdido Key. From here the paddler can visit several small islets and snorkel grassbeds. There’s good fishing too. The ICW is narrow here though so you need to be aware of large boat traffic.
The last 12 miles of Perdido Key is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The road only goes about 2 miles of that but you are allowed to hike the rest. The southern shore is more beautiful white beaches and the north is bordered by Big Lagoon. Big Lagoon is pretty shallow and outside the ICW host a lot of seagrass. Here you can snorkel for hours and see fish, crabs, and maybe a scallop or two (they are illegal to harvest here though). Many species of birds can be found here including osprey. There is a short natural trail at the kayak launch on the lagoon side of the park where you can see a variety of dune plants, animal tracks (such as deer), and other wildlife such as coachwhip snakes and the elusive diamondback terrapin. You can paddle from the kayak launch 12 miles to the east point and “Ft. McRae”. Seagrasses, salt marshes, dunes, freshwater ponds, and assorted wildlife can be found here. Back Country Camping is allowed in this portion of the Seashore but you must register at the Ranger station.
As you leave Perdido Key you find Big Lagoon State Park on your right. Located on north shore of Big Lagoon you will find the ICW. This park provides camping, hiking, snorkeling, birding, and kayak rentals. The park has hiking trails and freshwater ponds that harbor a variety of wildlife including species of freshwater turtles. Just down Gulf Beach Highway you will find Southwind Marina, which is home to many charter boats. Also located on Big Lagoon these charters have quick access to offshore reefs in the Gulf of Mexico for those interested in diving and fishing, including trips to hunt the invasive lionfish.
The 150′ Pensacola Lighthouse was first lit in 1859. The distinctive colors made it easy for mariners to identify from offshore and the light signal (time between flashes) is 21 seconds. This is a must see for those visiting the Perdido Key area.
From the Pensacola Lighthouse you get a great view of the open Gulf and the eastern end of Perdido Key. Here the pass separates Perdido Key (on the right) and Santa Rosa Island.
Before you leave the Perdido Key area and head for Pensacola Beach the nature tourist should make a stop at NAS Pensacola. The 150 foot Pensacola Lighthouse is open to the public and the views of the ICW as well as the two barrier islands (Perdido Key and Santa Rosa Island) are wonderful. There is a nature trail aboard NAS called Trout Point which leads you from the main road to the ICW.
To learn more about nature trips in the Perdido Key area contact Sea Grant Agent Rick O’Connor at (850) 475-5230 or roc1@ufl.edu and to find local nature tours visit NaturallyEscaRosa.com
