I’m happy to announce that again this year I will be blogging about the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival coming up in January 2011. This year most of my blogging will take place on the Festival’s Facebook page rather than on this blog. I’ll also be attending and live-blogging from the Festival. The program [...]

There’s a story in the News-Press today about a mass-beaching of Fighting Conchs (Strombus alatus) on Bonita Beach, Florida. Hundreds of thousands of live conchs were on the beach Tuesday. According to the article, the experts don’t know exactly why this occurs.  Explanations range from mating behavior to an extremely low tide. People quoted in [...]

I have received news of the passing–Thursday morning, October 28, 2010– of Cecelia White Abbott, adventurer, shell enthusiast and wife of the late R. Tucker Abbott. I first met Cecelia Abbott during the 2008 International Seabean Symposium in Cocoa Beach. My friend Marge Bell introduced her to me as the wife of the late R. [...]

Birds are often the most visible and audible animal at the beach. Terns and gulls gracefully circle and dive; long-necked herons and egrets stalk the shoreline; and tiny peeps race back and forth along the seashore. But there are many kinds of gulls, terns, herons and peeps. Many come from far away lands and are [...]

I like finding out about different ways to enjoy the ocean and when I saw this video of a team of surfers riding waves in Hangzhou’s Quiantang Tidal Bore I thought, wow, that must be one amazing way to see the city of Hangzhou. When the conditions are perfect, the tidal bore comes down into Hangzhou Bay and you can literally surf into the city. The waves are large but so is the adventure. Surfing the tidal bore started in 2007. Originally, no one was allowed into the water but by pulling a few strings these intrepid surfers managed to ride what seems to be an endless wave. This video is by Vimeo user Charles Lanceplaine.

Here is a brief description of the video:

Twice every year the Qiantang Tidal bore thunders down the river from the Hangzhou Bay almost 30 miles past the city of Hangzhou.

Since 2007 Surfing China and Wabsono, with the permission of the Chinese government, has invited Pro surfers to surf the bore known as the “Silver Dragon”.

This year the team included Jamie Sterling, Mikala Jones, Robert Wingnut Weaver and Mary Osborne. Mary had the honor of being the first woman ever to have surfed the “Silver Dragon” and Wingnut, the honor of first “headstand”.

The last 2 weeks have been rather quiet as far as jellyfish reports are concerned. Usually I get two to five reports a week. But suddenly  a large number of box jellyfish are being reported in the surf off Volusia County, Florida beaches. Photographer and artist Kem McNair has generously shared the photos he took [...]

This Saturday, October 23rd, 2010, I’ll be giving a 30 minute slide show presentation on Florida jellyfish during the 15th Annual International Seabean Symposium. It’s FREE! I’ll be showing many of the jellyfish photos that people have emailed to me over the last 5 years–and there are some really good ones! My presentation will begin [...]

The Pismo Beach Pier

There are only a couple of more weeks left before Pismo Beach’s lovely “Pumpkins on the Pier” event! This year, it will be held on Saturday, October 30 from 10am-1pm. I absolutely adore this time of year, and pumpkin picking is one of my most cherished yearly activities. I am insanely jealous of Pismo Beach residents, because in addition to picking pumpkins, they also get to enjoy the ocean. Not fair!

There’s also trick-or-treating from 12-2 as well as a costume contest. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon at the beach in Autumn, for both kids and adults.

A lovely pumpkin patch

Photos: Adam Belles, jrconlin

Beaches can be serene, relaxing and beautiful. But haunted and scary? Yes, that too! Halloween is only a few weeks away, so it’s time to get into that spooky spirit and explore some of our country’s haunted beaches. Here are some to check out, and if you’re lucky enough to live close enough to any of them, be sure to comment and let us know if you saw any ghostly goings-on!

The Hotel Del Coronado Beach seems so peaceful...but is it?

1. Coronado Beach – Hotel del Coronado

The legend is that long ago, a beautiful and pained young woman killed herself in one of this hotel’s rooms. She was apparently seen pacing back and forth on the beach before she died, and some say she was seen after there, too. It’s hard to get scared on this beach with such a magnificent background, but who knows? The Hotel Del is is supposed to be one of the most haunted in the country. If you do go, be sure to stay in one of the haunted rooms. My sister and I have in the past, and our phone rang a lot for no reason, and there was odd banging on the windows when there was no wind. Just sayin’.

Virginia Beach...are those a ghost's footsteps?

2. Virginia Beach

Blogger Sebastien Tobler wrote about this beach last year, and it’s definitely worth another mention. As Sebastien wrote, Adolph Coors,owner of Coors Brewing Company, jumped to his death from the Cavalier Hotel on Virginia Beach. And that’s only one story from a handful on this spooky strip of sand.

Spooky and haunted Huntington Beach Pier

3. Huntington Beach Pier

Michael J. Kouri claims to be able to see and hear ghosts all the time, and in his opinion, this pier is the most haunted one he’s ever been too. He gives tours of the pier and the surrounding beach area, and the tours are supposed to be not so much scary as they are interesting and enlightening. Past guests have reported seeing spirits while taking his tours, so look out!

The Queen Mary in Long Beach...trust me, it's haunted.

4. Long Beach – The Queen Mary Hotel

Ok, so this is not so much about the beach itself as the ship, but it’s close enough. This ship is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in the world. My family and I stayed on the ship for three nights when I was small, and my sister reported seeing all sorts of stuff, and she didn’t even know the ship was haunted. She screamed so loudly one time when she saw a figure in our hotel room’s mirror that I started screaming too and we both went flying down the hallway to my parents’ room. Check it out for yourself.

Haunted Daytona Beach - go on a ghost tour!

5. Daytona Beach

This company offers tours of the apparently haunted areas of Daytona Beach. You’ll get to check out spooky (bu beautiful!) Pinewoood Cemetery and hear about the area’s legends and lore. Bring your camera, past guests have reported seeing many unexplainable things including orbs and ghosts as well as hearing very odd noises.

Photos: Jlantzy, Meta-Man, Meagan, gailf548, cletch

When I was planning my destination wedding in Key West, Florida, I visited the wedding site, The Knot, a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Granted, the beach I chose to get married on (Smathers Beach) didn’t make this list, but the list looks lovely just the same. I won’t totally steal author Meredith Gray’s thunder, but I will list the first five beaches she writes about and show you pictures of them. I thought it to be an interesting list — only one Hawaii Beach, and only one Florida Beach! It’s a unique list, for sure.

Enjoy the planning!

1. Ogunquit, Maine

Ogunquit, Maine

2. Crane Beach, Massachusetts

Crane Beach, Massachusetts

3. Watch Hill, Rhode Island

Watch Hill, Rhode Island

4. Cooper’s Beach, New York

Cooper's Beach, Southampton, New York

5. Avalon, New Jersey

Avalon, New Jersey

For the rest of these beautiful beach destination areas, be sure to read Meredith Gray’s article!

Photos: Sskennel, leisuretime, juliancoloton2, admin, misha

A week ago I visited the Sunday Evening Drum Circle on Siesta Key and blogged about it. This Sunday I went to the Drum Circle on Treasure Island Beach (104th Ave). Below are some photos of the Treasure Island event and above is a short video clip. Which one is better? I dunno. Depends. Here’s [...]

Florida wants everyone to know that our beaches are clean and healthy. To demonstrate this, Florida is inviting everyone to participate in the “Great Florida Beachwalk.” Official registered volunteers will walk at least one designated mile of beach of their choice, take at least one photo and upload to the web before 11 a.m. on [...]

This is a great video clip of Shawn Duytschaver stand-up-paddleboarding in a pod of dolphins on the bay side of Anna Maria Island. Last year I went kayaking with Shawn through the Robinson Preserve in Bradenton. He’s got a great shop in Anna Maria where he rents out bikes, kayaks and SUP boards.  His shop [...]

I’ve been wanting to visit Anclote Key for a long time. Since we don’t have a boat, we took one of the tour boats out of the Tarpon Springs sponge docks. We chose Sunline Cruises for two reasons: (1)They appeared in Google search results for “anclote key cruise.” (2)They had great Tripadvisor reviews. Anclote Key [...]

San Diego's Hotel del Coronado

The memory is still so vivid. Two years ago, my sister and I were out on the beach in front of the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego at low tide. We had stayed overnight as a ghost hunting birthday gift, and we were making the most of our day before heading back home to El Cajon. It was early, about 7am, but the beach was already busy with walkers, joggers and frolicking kids. One kid in particular caught my eye; he was carrying a plastic bag and was frantically running around the beach, stooping down every few feet, picking something up and putting it in the bag – was he treasure hunting? I Before I could finish my thought, my sister gasped and said “Look!” Now that we were closer to the water, I could see dark red circles all over the sand. There were hundreds and hundreds of them, probably thousands. I walked over to one and picked it up. It was a sand dollar! But it was a live one, and I had never seen one before. It was a deep, rich red with very short “hair” on the backside. The beautiful design on the front of the shell was clearly visible.

A Live Sand Dollar

The best way to find sand dollars, if they’re not already out on the beach like the ones we found, is to go out at low tide. Actually get into the water, and shuffle your feet around carefully, though not enough to make the water all murky. If you look closely, you can often seen a slight outline of a sand dollar that’s just beneath the surface of the sand. Remember, the ones you see in the water are usually still alive, and different states have different laws regarding taking live sand dollars. In Florida, for example, you can only take 2 live sand dollars per day. On most beaches, you can collect as many dead sand dollars as you like. It’s tough to find a perfect one that doesn’t have any chips in it!

This is what most people picture a sand dollar looking like; I think they’re even more beautiful when they’re dead, like this one:

Dead Sand Dollar

It’s amazing that something so beautiful and artistic looking occurs naturally in nature. Mother Nature is definitely an artist, and I’m a huge fan of her work.

Photos: Terwilliger911, kthypryn, Rennett Stowe

Aside from its blindingly white sand, clear emerald waters, and eternal Gulf Coast breezes, one of the nicest things about Cotton Bayou Beach is that it is open to the public free of charge. Off-street parking is available for about 30 vehicles, without the $5.00 fee charged at the nearby Gulf State Park Beach Pavilion.

Gorgeous wide swaths of white sand, with no sign of oil, yet tourists have stayed away in droves

Cotton Bayou is one of a series of beaches that are part of Gulf State Park, which stretches for miles along the Gulf of Mexico in the community of Orange Beach, Alabama. Recently suffering from a loss of tourism due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the town is struggling to get the word out that the problems have been remedied and the beaches are as clean and pristine as they have ever been. But as with most disasters, it is easier to create a reaction with negative news than with positive; as a result, the beaches are still fairly deserted as visitors slowly accept that it is once again safe to go in the water. Tourists can reap a big benefit from the loss of tourism dollar, however, as many resorts and hotels are offering great week-long and weekend deals, combined with a great lineup of concerts to entice people back to the area.

Lovely afternoon on Cotton Bayou Beach, one of several beautiful beaches along Alabama's Gulf Coast

Cotton Bayou Beach is located about five miles east of Alabama Hwy. 59 and .2 mile west of Hwy. 161. In addition to offering free parking, the beach access area has restrooms and outdoor showers, and the beach is a short walk from the parking lot.

Photo Credit: Barbara Weibel
Article by Barbara Weibel of Cultural Travel with Hole In The Donut

I was watching Step Into Liquid, possibly one of the best surfing documentaries I have ever seen. While going through the surfing history time line the “uber-popularization” of surfing in the 60’s came up and with it the movie Gidget – a movie by Columbia Pictures (now owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment) that was released in 1959 about a teenager breaking into the surf scene. Gidget is the equivalent of say…the TV show Kung Fu starring David Carradine in the 1970’s (essentially what I am trying to say is that Gidget was a total misrepresentation of surf culture at the time much like Kung Fu was to the martial art). I say this because not only was it a misrepresentation, but both Gidget and Kung Fu popularized their respective subject matters amongst the masses. After the release of Gidget came one cheesy beach party movie after another and in turn created a beach culture of its own…which kind of reminds me of spring break today but with more clothing. In any case, as cheesy as these movies are and as cheesy as the teenage beach culture that adored them was it is, alas, part of American beach culture history much like ’80’s music is part of music history – we just can’t do anything about it (I’m guilty of listening to it, don’t get all salty on me now dear reader – we are just having fun here on the beach blog). So in the spirit of embracing American beach history, I’ve compiled a list of movies here that you can reference if you get bored this fall/winter and ever want to take a step back in time and have yourself a little beach party in your living room. The short synopsis under each image is from IMDB, click on each image to read the full synopsis and information on each movie on IMDB. Please feel free to add titles that must be added to the list in the comments section and I will include it here!

Gidget - 1959

A young girl discovers surfing and love (in that order) during one transitive summer.

Gidget Goes Hawaiian - 1961

Francis is desperate: her parents want to force her to come with them on vacation to Hawaii – just during the two weeks when her beloved “Moondoggy” is home from College. When he suggests her to go for it, she’s even more in panic…

Beach Party - 1963

The first of the five official American-International “Beach Party” movies. Anthropology Professor Robert Orwell Sutwell and his secretary Marianne are studying the sex habits of teenagers. The surfing teens led by Frankie and Dee Dee don’t have much sex but they sing, battle the motorcycle rats and mice led by Eric Von Zipper…

Muscle Beach Party - 1964

Local beach-goers find that their beach has been taken over by a businessman training a stable of body builders.

Bikini Beach - 1964

A millionaire sets out to prove his theory that his pet chimpanzee is as intelligent as the teenagers who hang out on the local beach, where he is intending to build a retirement home.

Beach Blanket Bingo - 1965

In the fourth of the highly successful Frankie and Annette beach party movies, a motorcycle gang led by Eric Von Zipper kidnaps singing star Sugar Kane…

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini - 1965

Frankie, on naval-reserve duty in Tahiti, doesn’t trust Dee Dee to stay faithful, so he hires Bwana, a witch doctor, to help.

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini - 1966

A corpse has 24 hours to mastermind a good deed without leaving his crypt, to go “up there” and have his youth restored.

I love the ocean and I love beaches – obvi. I am reminded everyday of the reasons why and this is primarily because I don’t live near one. I live in a city and every time I am stuck in traffic or watch people fight over a shopping cart, I think – “I need to get out of here for just a little bit” and being in a warm ocean is where I want to be. It is that same distance from the ocean though that keeps us humans in the dark from what we are doing to it. Admittedly, when I do daydream about being at the beach, like most people, I think of only the great things about it – white sands, blue waters and the beautiful underwater life that is part of that ecosystem. Rafa Herrero’s piece, Octubre, is a reminder of what we are turning the ocean into. If all the trash being dumped into the ocean doesn’t stop, my daydream – along with other ocean lover’s daydreams will only be just that – a dream.

About Octubre:

In October, after the holidays, trade winds whirl about rivers of rubbish where turtles close in searching for food, but only to find a slow death in these deadly traps.

A new species strongly settles down in the ocean: plastic.

An ephemeral shelter for a few, but a sad end for the majority.

About Rafa:

Director of Aquawork. I live in Canary Islands. My productions are underwater documentaries, mainly. Work with a Panasonic HVX201E within a Gates housing.

Turtle Caught in Plastic - Scene from Octubre - by Rafa Herrera

The day I visited Fort Morgan Beach, there was one person in sight. As far as I could see in either direction, no one was swimming or fishing; no one was walking along the windswept, sun-scoured shoreline. One lone woman had pulled her low-slung beach chair pulled up to the water’s edge where an occasional gentle wave lapped her toes.

View looking East at Fort Morgan Beach

Like most people, I had arrived to see Fort Morgan, the historic structure that was the site of the Battle for Mobile Bay during the Civil War, which virtually ended the Confederate Army’s ability to get supplies to its troops and was the death knell for the South. Tucked between the Gulf of Mexico and a landward lagoon, this narrow spit of land juts out into Mobile Bay, forming the eastern side of its mouth. At its very point sits the fort, a monolithic star-shaped heap of bricks and mortar that today brings Civil War history to life. From here, the beach winds back around the point toward the twin towns of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, a short 22 mile drive through parts of the pristine Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.

The combination of distance from town, where other spectacular beaches are easily accessed, and the fact that most visitors to the area are following the popular Civil War Trail, means that Fort Morgan Beach is likely to be deserted most of the time, used only by in-the-know locals who seek to escape the hordes of tourists that descend upon this popular Gulf Coast Resort area throughout the year.

Looking west, seclusion as well, but offshore natural gas rigs dot the horizon

In addition to the seclusion, Fort Morgan Beach offers one other unique aspect: the offshore view. Instead of an unbroken sweep of blue water, this horizon is dotted with natural gas rigs and behemoth cargo ships that sail into Mobile Bay loaded with hundreds of roll-off containers. It’s fun and interesting to watch the ships steam through the mouth of the bay, so heavily loaded that they are sunk low in the water, playing a guessing game about what various and sundry merchandise is arriving at our shores from distant lands.

If you are visiting Fort Morgan (which I highly recommend), pay the $2 admission fee at the entrance and park at the fort. After strolling through the well-done museum and climbing to the top of the fort’s impervious walls for an overview of Mobile Bay, take the sandy path just a few steps to the beach and wind around to the Gulf side, where you can access miles of powdery-fine white sand. Alternatively, if you just wish to visit the beach, turn off onto any of the access roads prior to the fort’s entrance and park off to the side of the road. Be advised, however, that in the latter case, there are no services such as restrooms or water available.

Photo Credit: Barbara Weibel
Article by Barbara Weibel of Cultural Travel with Hole In The Donut

Sometimes, going crazy over wedding planning really pans out nicely. Last year, I traveled with some friends to the Bahamas for the first time on a Carnival cruise. Gaga about traveling that I am, I did a ton of research about Nassau before we left, since we only had about 5 hours in the town and had to hit the ground running in snorkel fins. I knew we wanted to go to a beach, and I knew we didn’t want to have to empty our wallets to the cruise line for an excursion we were perfectly capable of doing ourselves. (Hate that!) My then fiance and I had briefly looked at the Bahamas as a destination wedding, so I already knew about Cable Beach, a smallish beach that the Westin and Sheraton share.

Nobody else with me had any clue about where to go, so I decided to lead the blind. Upon docking, we walked over to the taxi stand and negotiated a price of about $20 one way to Cable Beach, reasonable since it was a good 10-15 minute ride. Upon arriving, we walked through the Westin to the beach, took some chairs (the beach was almost empty as it was 9am), and just stared. Besides the Virgin Islands, I had never seen water or sand that was so pretty. The water was turquoise and calm, and the beach sand was white and fine.

Cable Beach

The beach chairs were apparently $5 to rent, but nobody told us that until two minutes before we left, so we lounged for free. The snorkeling here was fabulous! Absolutely tons of fish, and the water was incredibly clear and warm (it was late July).

Clear, clear water on Cable Beach, Nassau

I am so glad we spent the time we did at Cable Beach instead of rushing around and doing something else. Nassau itself is too touristy for me, and too crowded. There’s nothing like putting up your feet on a gorgeous beach and just staring at the water to make you realize how lucky you are. I’ll be back, Cable Beach. But first, I might have to go to Pink Sands Beach. Pink and turquoise beach? Now you’ve really got my attention.

Cable Beach, and my toes.

Photos taken by Jenny Bengen