May 13 Deepwater Horizon Response Situation Report as of noon. (opens as a pdf file)
Summary:
There is no oil expected on any Florida beaches within the next 72 hours.
The oil plume is currently located 80 miles southwest of Pensacola, 172 miles from Port St. Joe, and 317 miles from Saint Petersburg, FL.
Go to the beach and [...]

Most people coming to Cocoa Beach don’t even know about Jetty Park at Cape Canaveral (Port Canaveral). They head straight for the Cocoa Beach pier on Meade Avenue instead. Fishing and surfing are great at the jetty and the park has a great beach. Don’t overlook it.

In 2004, Los Cabos Magazine named Chileno Beach the “Best All-Around Beach” in Los Cabos, the area at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California Sur between the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Although it is now some years later, the designation is still well-deserved.

Gorgeous Chileno Beach, located between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo in Mexico's Baja California Sur

Wide, flat Chileno Beach is perfect for long walks, jogging, or sunning, and unlike many other beaches in the area, it is safe for swimming. It also has restrooms and a grove of shade palms for those who prefer to be out of the sun. On rocky reefs running parallel to the beach, snorkelers and divers find tropical fish, sea turtles, moray eels, sponges, and starfish, all easily accessed from the shore. Best of all, motorized watersports are banned at Chileno, although a dive shop on the beach’s southwestern end rents kayaks, snorkel and dive gear, and sells bottled water and sodas.

While Medano Beach in the center of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is the party beach, pretty Chileno Beach prides itself on being away from the hustle, bustle of the city. Although it can be crowded on weekends, since it is a favorite of locals, Chileno Beach is never too busy during the week. To get to Chileno, drive or take the bus east from Cabo San Lucas or west from San Jose del Cabo. The beach is located at kilometer 14.5 and access it southwest of the Hotel Cabo San Lucas.

PhotoCredit: Tanenhaus

Article by Barbara Weibel of Hole In The Donut Travels

It’s looking like user fees are coming to Fort Desoto County Park. In the face of declining tax revenues Pinellas County is having a hard time keeping the park open and staffed, so they are going to be asking those of us who use the park to chip in a little extra. Extra, meaning above [...]

This model by Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, in cooperation with the University of South Florida gives an excellent picture of the position and extent of the oil spill and its movement relative to the nearby Gulf of Mexico water currents. Based on current analysis, it appears likely that at some point at least a [...]

May 10, 2010 Deepwater Horizon Response Situation Report as of Noon. (opens as a pdf file)
Summary:
There is no oil expected on any Florida beaches within the next 72 hours.
The oil plume is currently located 100 miles southwest of Pensacola, 179 miles from Port St. Joe, and 340 miles from Saint Petersburg, FL.
Go to the beach [...]

The unusually cold winter is but a memory now as the heat and humidity take over. Not as hot as July and August, but getting closer day by day. We went for an evening walk on Pass-a-Grille beach Friday evening and enjoyed the sunset. I couldn’t help but think about the big glob of oil [...]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 72 hour forecast (as of noon Saturday May 8, 2010) indicates that no oil is expected on any of Florida’s beaches during the next 72 hours.
The oil is currently 70 miles from Pensacola and 265 miles from St. Petersburg, Florida.
Keep up with the latest Gulf oil spill reports and forecasts.

Currently, the beaches along the Florida coast are not under immediate threat from the BP oil spill. The further from the spill, the lower the threat. Western panhandle beaches are on high alert, but as yet, no oil is threatening them. So don’t let what is happening hundreds of miles away keep you away from [...]

It’s not the prettiest beach. It doesn’t have the powder-fine white sand that most of us expect from what is touted as one of the world’s most popular beaches. But Medano Beach (Playa del Medano) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is definitely where all the action is. This two-mile long strip of sand begins at the east side of the harbor entrance and runs all the way to Villa del Palmar on the east end of the bay.

Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, seen from the harbor mouth

Medano is the most popular beach in Cabo San Lucas for many reasons, but most importantly because its protected cove offers safe swimming with little current and few waves, unlike prettier Lover’s Beach and Divorce Beach on Land’s End. It is within walking distance of downtown, but visitors need not leave the beach for services, as it is lined with hotels, bars and restaurants. Rentals for jet skis, kayaks body boards, and banana boats are readily available, as are activities such as waterskiing, parasailing and volleyball. Snorkeling and dive trips to sites near El Arco are easily arranged. Unfortunately the popularity of Medano Beach also means you will be pestered by an endless stream of vendors peddling everything from blankets to hair braiding.

Hotels, condos, and beachfront bars and restaurants line Medano Beach

If it’s serenity and tranquility you seek, you won’t be impressed by Medano Beach. But if round-the-clock partying is your kind of thing, consider Medano your ideal beach destination.

Photo Credit: Barbara Weibel
Article by Barbara Weibel of Hole In The Donut Travels

If you’d like to be a part of the wildlife rescue and beach cleanup effort created by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, you should contact the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary directly RIGHT NOW!
Phone: 727.392.4291 or 727.254.0577
Website: http://www.seabirdsanctuary.com/
The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that is eligible to receive tax [...]

Sapphire Beach

St. Thomas may be only 32 miles long but there are lots of beaches packed into those miles.  Whenever I asked locals about the best beaches on the East End,  Sapphire Beach was always the first suggestion.  With deep blue waters the color of the gem it’s named for, Sapphire Beach is a popular snorkeling, windsurfing and jet skiing spot.  But this serene stretch offers much more than just water sports.

There are two restaurants to grab sandwiches and wraps and all the fruity cocktails you can down.  You’ll see a lot of beach volleyball games as well as iguana photo ops. Because Sapphire Beach is a popular cruise ship itinerary stop, it can get crowded but not too crowded to eke out your own space to sunbathe and catch glorious views of neighboring St. John.  Because the reef is so close to the beach, snorkeling is wonderful, with colorful fish and sea turtles a highlight.  The water is warm but the bottom is rocky so wear swim shoes if you’re not planning on snorkeling. Kayaking and para sailing, available at the marina, are also great options.  Sometimes, you might see a vendor selling hats woven out of palm leaves but other than that, you won’t be hassled or expected to do anything but relax.

Photo courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Spring is underway and we’re less than two months away from the official start of summer. If you’re like me and have started shopping for new swimwear, consider some of these bright and colorful choices.

P.S. I just discovered the Agua Bendita label, and am totally in love. The kaleidoscope of colors is irresistible!

French cut but with extra fabric for extra coverage

Bendita French Toast by Agua Bendita. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique

Go retro in high-waisted bottoms

Bendito Dulce by Agua Bendita. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique

A different take on the monokini

Bendita Tentacion by Agua Bendita. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique.

Sail away in this interpretation of a captain’s uniform:

Sea Side Top and Pin Up Bottom by Lady Lux. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique.

Rugby stripes go dockside with rope detail

Ana Tri by Vix. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique

Sweet candy stripes

Striped bikini. Courtesy of BCBG

A one piece with a center cutout

Lineum Cymara by Maaji. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique

The amber overtones feel like the glow of the sun against the sand

Yellow bandeau by Sabz. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique

Seahorses meet punk

Tropical Taylor by OndadeMar. Courtesy of Orchid Boutique

I’ve written about Florida beaches many other times, but now I’ve pulled together my top dozen and created a photo and audio log that allows me to tell you about these great beaches in my own voice. Enjoy!

Casperson Beach

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Treasure Island

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St. Pete Beach

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Clearwater Island Beach

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Siesta Key, Sarasota

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Lido Beach, St. Armand’s Key, Sarasota

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Nokomis Beach, Casey Key

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South Beach, Miami Beach

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Anne’s Beach, Islamorada, Florida Keys

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Sandspur Beach, Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys

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Palm Island, Punta Gorda, Florida
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Caladesi Beach, Dunedin, Florida
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When most people think of rays, they think of stingrays that sit quietly on the bottom and wait to be stepped on. But cownose rays are a lot easier to see than stingrays because they often swim in large schools near the surface of the water. They will swim up and down the beach during [...]

Globe – The Surfrider (Brown) – Footwear
If you like to buy products that support a cause you believe in, here’s a chance to show some love to the Surfrider Foundation. Globe pledges to donate 50% of the profits from the sale of this sandal back to the Surfrider Foundation. The sandal does have “Lite leather” [...]

Every year it seems someone gets hit by lighting while out on the beach during a thunderstorm. Clearwater Beach has had several unlucky victims in the past few years. Today warnings were issued early in the day, yet there were still people out on the beach during the lightning as you can see by the [...]

Outrigger on Huahine

My search for untouched islands has always led me to ones which I really cannot write about because, untouched means one thing; simply enjoying the secluded beaches and the jungles/forests. That is really about it, and quite honestly I’m sure you would all get pretty bored reading about beautiful places with only so much to do over and over again. So I look for both the untouched and the colorful, which brings me to Huahine in French Polynesia. This 9.9 by 8.1 mile island is actually made up of two islands circled by a coral reef and split in the middle by a couple hundred yards of water. The reason why it is still considered one island is because of a small strip of sand that lies between them only visible during low tide.

One of the main attractions on Huahine is a small bridge that crosses over a particular river inhabited by sacred Tahitian eels (Check out this video of eels being fed by YouTube user jamfan2). Huahine is steeped in culture and history. These eels have probably been here longer than the locals have been on the island. Legend has it that the first of these eels made its way across the mountains from Tahiti. The eel was quite lonely in its new home and married a beautiful woman from Mataiera and it is said that the current eels are decedents of this eel and Mataiera. Why would a beautiful maiden marry an eel? No idea, but hey before you judge remember that whole princess and the frog story?

The fact of the matter is, Huahine is what Bora Bora was like before it became the uber-luxurious getaway that it is now and more impressive, Huahine has preserved much of its colorful culture and charm seemingly lost in other Polynesian islands. From amazing beaches, temples, towns and villages, this island can totally be the island that never changed – forever lost in time. If only Capt. James Cook were here to verify that.

By Sebastien Tobler

Colliding Continents

A sandy stretch at Montrose Beach

Beaches might not come to mind when you think of Chicago but the Windy City boasts quite a few.  My favorite is a pretty stretch called Montrose Beach.  Now I admit it, I’m quite spoiled when it comes to beaches.  Generally, my idea of a beach involves pristine, pearly sands and sun-dappled turquoise water.  Chicago beaches contain none of that.  But when I’m in the city and in the mood to be on the Lake Michigan shore, nothing beats Montrose Beach’s lively scene.

Lake Michigan water is typically murky and I usually don’t venture out into the Chicago side of Lake Michigan because the toxic levels rival only Chernoblyl.  But for sunbathing and sunny snacking,  Montrose Beach is the place.  The range of food offered at this beach is alone worth a trip.  There are carts filled with paletas or creamy popsicles in tropical flavors like my favorite, coconut.  There are sno cones, fruit bowls,  corn on the cob, billowy puffs of cotton candy and churros.  And if you long for something hardier,  there’s an ingenious portable taco stand serving up sizzling steak tacos.  To work off all that nibbling, endless games of soccer and volleyball take place in the sand and there’s even a wildflower preserve across the street from the beach. For people-watching and lounging in the sun, Montrose Beach is my reliable sandy spot.

Photo courtesy of Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

One of my helpful website visitors alerted me to two excellent beach web cams.
If you visit the Pinellas County beaches these web cams will be very helpful to you because:

They are live video cams
They are high resolution
They show a very good view of the beach and the Gulf of Mexico.

One beach web cam is on [...]