Beach Archive

Tessa Hendricks and Alex Bailey are like any newly engaged couple. They are in love, have dreams of starting their life together, and, did I mention, they are both Navarre Beach lifeguards.

The 2022 Navarre Beach Lifeguards celebrated a “winning” season – meaning no drownings. With more than 747,000 visitors, the guards provided 150 assists, 44 rescues and answered 185 medical calls on the beach. Recently, Navarre Beach Safety Division Chief Austin Turnbull attended the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) board meeting and educational conference in Orlando.

The Gulfarium’s C.A.R.E. Center successfully released two rehabilitated sea turtles on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at Topsail Hill State Park, Florida. Each of the turtles were rescued from Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach within the past year.

Earlier this month, Navarre Beach Marine Science Station received a grant for $19,615 from Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program. They were selected from a competitive pool of 18 proposals.

The nearly $20,000 will go towards studying and collecting data on water quality, and more specifically, the nutrient and bacteria levels in the Santa Rosa Sound. They will also monitor algal blooms.

October is nationally known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A local nonprofit, Pink Pirates of Navarre colors the beach path along Gulf Boulevard in pink one Saturday every October with runners and walkers dressed in pink tutus and pink wigs.

The 14th annual Run for the Reef was held Saturday morning on Navarre beach and drew a record crowd.

On Sept. 21, Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Fire Chief Danny Fureigh honored several lifeguards and a member of Navarre Beach Fire Rescue at an awards ceremony.

Lifeguards Garrett Edwards, Daniel Walsh, Ryan Conner, and Austin Koenigseder were honored for helping save a diver in distress at the reef near Navarre Beach over the Summer. John Becker was recognized as a Lifeguard of the Year for the 2022 season. Cole Burton received recognition as the Most Improved Lifeguard of the Year for the 2022 season. Zack Miller was named Lifeguard Rookie of the Year for the 2022 season. The NBFR member who was honored was Patrick Wissing, who became a full time member of NBFR recently. Wissing is a firefighter/paramedic.

Gulf Islands National Seashore has closed the Florida areas of the park to all visitors since 8 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 25, in preparation for then Tropical Storm Ian.

Closed areas include the Fort Pickens Area, Perdido Key Area (Johnson Beach), Opal Beach, and Okaloosa Area.

On Saturday, August 6 Jimmy Streacker caught a 50-inch red drum off Navarre Beach. He caught it using a live pin fish off the shore on a 50-year-old rod and reel.

Last August, his dad Jim Streacker caught the same species of fish off Navarre Beach using the same rod.

Fishing was just supposed to be a hobby for Benton Parrott. A way to escape his busy schedule and relax.

He had no idea when he started out that it would become a far bigger deal than he ever imagined.