Beach Archive

While venturing down Navarre Beach, as he does every morning, Doug Browne and a friend discovered a sight they wished they didn’t have to see. On May 25, Browne and Olivia Hagedoorn found a deceased dolphin washed up along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. The dolphin was technically on Eglin Air Force Base property, but the friends managed to see it and contact someone with Gulf World Marine Institute.

A rare and endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was rescued off the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier at around 5:20 p.m. Friday evening. The turtle was severely wrapped in fishing line, towing a 6-foot fishing pole. The Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation stranding team went into action to retrieve the turtle.

From May 18 to 24, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other entities across the state of Florida observed ‘National Safe Boating Week’ ahead of the summer, which unofficially starts with Memorial Day.

Florida Sea Grant is gearing up for the 2024 Great Scallop Search. The search is set to begin July 27 and finish Aug. 4. There are 11 grids in Big Lagoon and 55 grids in Santa Rosa Sound where volunteers can search. 

It’s that time of year again. The beaches fill with visitors and sea turtles are in nesting season. Summer is nearly upon us, and the beaches of the Emerald Coast are once again welcoming visitors from all over, including those who have swum a long way to get here. From May to October, sea turtles visit the beaches of Florida to nest, leaving their eggs to hatch and their hatchlings to find their own way back to the Gulf of Mexico.

On April 30, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the 2024 Gulf Red Snapper recreational season will last 103 days, the longest season since the state was delegated management of Gulf red snapper. This season will include both summer and fall seasons, including major holiday weekends such as Father’s Day, July 4th and the Thanksgiving holiday.

Navarre Beach is home to over 1,000 people. Add tourists and you have a far larger number. 

With all those people comes a tremendous amount of waste, and not only the trash kind. To manage waste and water resources, Navarre Beach residents rely on the Santa Rosa County-run Navarre Beach Wastewater Treatment Facility, located at 1411 Utility Drive.

Each day, thousands of electrical components carry electricity across Santa Rosa County to power homes and businesses. Many of these components (power line wire, transformers, etc.) are supported by large wooden utility poles, many standing around 50 feet tall.

Navarre and the rest of the Emerald Coast may not have swells like the Mavericks off California or Hawaii’s pipeline waves, but it does have a rich history of surfing with famous surfers like Yancy Spencer III having shred Gulf Coast waves.

With the expansion of artificial reefs across the Panhandle, more and more people are partaking in underwater recreation in the Gulf and in the intercoastal waterways. As more visitors come to our area, there is more risk for something going awry, meaning first responders have to be ready to answer the call.