Update 3:52 pm: Added Panama City Beach video.

Update 11:20 am: Video of Pensacola Beach, Fort Walton Beach and Destin has been added.

All of the water along Northwest Florida’s Beaches remains open for swimming. It is already shaping up to be a beautiful day along Northwest Florida’s Beaches and we encourage you to keep checking back throughout the day as our videos from each area will be posted here.

Update 5:12 pm: Added Destin Video.

This is the last update of the night and our beaches remain open with no health advisories. We did not obtain video from Panama City Beach or the Forgotten Coast today, but will be sure to get video from these areas as soon as possible. We have monitored those areas today and there were thousands of people enjoying the water.

Our beaches are looking beautiful and you’re missing out on a fantastic vacation with some fantastic events coming up. For instance, The Doobie Brothers will be performing a FREE concert on Okaloosa Island June 27th at 5:00pm. You can check out even more fun activities coming up on our Event Calendar.

Checkout our videos, updates and Southern Pledge as you make your plans to the beach. We’ll see you first thing in the morning for another day of updates.

Update 4:55 pm: Added Beaches of South Walton video.

Update 4:45 pm: Added Fort Walton Beach video.

Update 11:10 am: Added Pensacola Beach video.

Update 9:00 am: The beaches in all of our areas remain open without any health advisories. The water looks gorgeous and the sand is still sugar white. Sporadic reports of tar balls have been reported along the Panhandle but authorities are quick to respond and clean them up. Thousands of people flocked to the Beaches of Northwest Florida this weekend and are having an amazing time in our blue-green Gulf water. Again, our beaches are safe and remain open.

Pensacola Beach and Panama City Beach only reported intermittent tar balls spotted today. The Forgotten Coast is still clear of impact from the oil spill.
We did not get video footage of these areas, but did get reports of people enjoying the water and sunshine on this gorgeous Father’s Day.

Updated Saturday, June 19, 2010,

9:30 PM: The Beaches of South Walton reported sightings of tar balls late this afternoon in several beach communities. Clean up crews are on hand. No beaches closed or were swim advisories issued.

10:00 AM: This morning we have had no reports of beach impacts related to the BP oil spill along our beach communities.

The sporadic presence of tar balls may emerge in random points on the beach, but no significant presence is expected and no swim advisory exists in our areas of operation.

From Pensacola Beach to Port St Joe, beach goers are making the most of this beautiful morning and clear water, swimming, stand up paddle -boarding, kayaking and just relaxing on the beach.

Earlier than usual, scallop season begins in St Joseph’s Bay today! The forecast for this year is positive that we’ll have an abundance of scallops.

Bring your snorkel, mask and nets. If you’d like to rent a  boat , try our Perks Partner Seahorse Water Safaris.

Come stay for the weekend of week. We have wonderful properties and rates in Port ST Joe, WindMark Beach and Mexico Beach.

Updated June 18, 2010 5:00 pm

There have been no changes to the conditions of our shores as of this morning. Some minor reports of tar balls have been reported sporadically between Pensacola Beach and the Beaches of South Walton. All of our beaches remain safe and open with no health advisories along any of our beaches. Please check out our area updates below and visit our Oil Spill FAQ for any extra questions you may have.

Checkout some fun activities and things to do this weekend on our Event Calendar.

The videos and pictures of our areas will be updated as we acquire it throughout the day.

Pensacola Beach & Navarre Beach The beaches are open and there are no health advisories.  The few reports of tar balls and sheen cover less than 1% of the entire beach.
Fort Walton Beach The beaches are open and there are no health advisories (The health advisory was lifted Thursday at 3:00pm). Authorities have tested the water multiple times and it is safe. There are no current reports of any oil impacts beyond a few minor occurences of tar balls which are quickly cleaned up.To inform you about the minor reports of tar balls, the video taken today shows a part of the affected beach on Okaloosa Island. The very small tar balls look like dark rocks in the video and are being cleaned up by authorities.
Destin The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. There are no current reports of any oil impacts beyond a few minor occurences of tar balls which are quickly cleaned up.
Beaches of South Walton The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. There are no current reports of any oil impacts beyond a few minor occurences of tar balls which are quickly cleaned up.
Panama City Beach The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. There are no current reports of any oil impacts.
Forgotten Coast The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. There are no current reports of any oil impacts. Remember, scallop season opens tomorrow!!!	Video Coming Soon

Updated: June 17, 2010 at 4:50 pm

The health advisory along Okaloosa Island has been removed as of 3:00 pm today. Authorities have tested the water multiple times since all of the tar balls were removed from the shoreline and it is definitely safe to re-enter. People are back in the water having a safe and wonderful time.

All of our beaches are open and there are no health advisories or current reports of oil impacts along any of our area’s beaches at this time.

There is an oil sheen 3-5 of miles off the coast of Okaloosa Island currently moving east due to winds. We are in an “area of uncertainty” regarding the conditions we may or may not feel. The speculation of trajectories continuously change much like weather forecasts. Officials are closely monitoring our shorelines for any effects from the oil and we will keep you updated with the current conditions in each of our areas.

If you’re looking for fun things to do off the beach, check out our Event Calendar with many fun concerts and activities. Remember our Southern Perks with FREE tickets to dolphin cruises, discounts on Golf and much more.

Pensacola Beach & Navarre Beach: The beaches are open and there are no health advisories.  The few reports of tar balls and sheen cover less than 1% of the entire beach.
Fort Walton Beach: The beaches are open and there are no health advisories (The health advisory was lifted at 3:00pm). Authorities have tested the water multiple times and it is safe for re-entry.
Destin: The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. Besides a few isolated reports of small tar balls, there are no other reports of any oil impacts. The Destin East Pass will be closed during incoming tides and open during outgoing tide. It will also be closed every evening unless otherwise noted.
Beaches of South Walton: The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. There are no current reports of any oil impacts.
Panama City Beach: The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. There are no current reports of any oil impacts.
Forgotten Coast: The beaches are open and there are no health advisories. There are no current reports of any oil impacts. Also, Scallop Season will be opening early this year on Saturday, June 19th.	Picture Coming Soon

	Destin: June 16, 2010 Click Twice to Enlarge

I love flip flops and I love smoothies so if you’re like me, head over to HarborWalk on Thursday, June 18th. This will be the 4th Annual National Flip Flop Day and to celebrate, Tropical Smoothie is offering its Jetty Punch Smoothie [a sweet mixture of banana, strawberry, turbinado (sugar), honey and ice] for FREE to the first 500 customers wearing sandals! This combination of smoothie and sandals is so perfect and you can bet on me being there first thing in the morning. 

To update you on the beach conditions, there were a good number of tar balls washing up along the shoreline of Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach today. If you’re in this area, exercise caution and avoid contact with anything that may be affected by the oil. Cleanup crews will be working to clean this area and test the waters for safety.

None of our other operating areas have experienced this level of effect but there have been minor reports of a few sporadic tar balls along our 150 miles of coastline. We took video of Destin today from the public beach access at the end of Shirah Street in Crystal Beach. As you can see, plenty of people are enjoying the water without any effects from the BP oil spill.

Southern Resorts Vacation Rentals takes great pride in being the most caring vacation rental company along the Beaches of Northwest Florida. We will keep you updated on the conditions of our shores and please exercise caution if you’re along the Okaloosa Island shoreline.

Launched in 1989, The Big Bend Saltwater Classic Fishing Tournament was created by The Organization for Artificial Reefs, Inc. (OAR), a private, non-profit, marine interest group based out of Tallahassee.  The family oriented Tournament was intended to serve as OAR’s primary fund-raising project.

In 1989, 223 anglers participated in the inaugural tournament.  In recent years, over 700 competitors have joined the competition to put this tournaments among the top saltwater fishing tournaments by participation (according to Florida Sportsman Magazine). 

The tournament is held in a rodeo format featuring multiple species in three divisions for Juniors to Pros.  The Tournaments is the Fishing Family’s place to be on Father’s Day weekend in North Florida.

Come out to the Port St. Joe Marina from June 18th-20th to join this fun filled competition.  If you’re vacationing to the Forgotten Coast, make some time to checkout the enormous catches these fishermen bring into the docks.  For more information, visit here.

Checkout our daily video from Destin and Pensacola Beach. The beaches are still pristine with only a few reports of tar balls along our 150 miles of shoreline in the past few days. We continue to monitor the sheen that is reportedly miles away from our shores. As always, we will update you if anything changes along the gorgeous beaches.

For more questions and answers, visit our Oil Spill FAQ.

The Annual Kids’ Day at the Fort Walton Beach Landing is a free event sponsored by the City of Fort Walton Beach.  Bring the little ones out for this fun filled event with many great activities including:

• Water Slides, Auburn University’s Raptor Program, Seacrest Wolf preserve, Magic Moments with Beau Broomall, Nonie’s Ark Animal Encounters, EOD Bomb Robot, The Gulfarium, Emerald Coast Science Center, Gator Beach Presents “Mellow Yellow”, The Rock Climb, Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, PAWS, Indian Temple Mound Museum Touch Table, Choctawhatchee Audubon Society, Stampin’ Up! Fun Faces, Kitty Hawk Kites, U.S. Coast Guard & FWB Fire Department

With so many fun activities in this 10am-1pm event your child is sure to have a wonderful time.  Call 850.833.9505 with any questions.

Our videos (above) taken today in Pensacola Beach & Destin show another beautiful day along the Beaches of Northwest Florida. There is some “June Grass” (seaweed) making its annual visit but it will clear out any day now.

As I spent some of Saturday and Sunday on the beach I didn’t experience anything out of the usual along our beautiful shores. Everyday, boats and ATVs search our coast for any effects from the BP oil spill. There have been no reports of smells or anything more than a few tar balls affecting our shores. Further, there are cleanup crews on standby to quickly clean any affected areas. Any potential effects on our shoreline are expected to be sporadic and highly weathered, such as tar balls, oil sheen, tar mats or mousse.

Just like you, we listen, watch and monitor the conditions thoroughly and will keep you updated if anything changes about our white sand and emerald water. Remember our Southern Pledge about refunding your money if the oil closes our beaches and keep those plans to visit the Beaches of Northwest Florida.

Visit our Oil Spill FAQ if you have more questions.