Seaweed-don't miss it!

Hello All:

Sorry to beat this topic to death, but it's a long flight for us to visit and before coming back we would like to know if the Algae Problem has been getting worse or better.

Some on this thread call the algae June Grass, but our last two visits were in August and the algae was as thick as I have ever seen. As a kid we would visit for two weeks in the Summer and this didn't seem to be a problem, but that was a long time ago.

So, any advice on when to best avoid the algae, the sargassum grass isn't an issue with us.

Thanks, Henry in Seattle

Come before June. Seriously though, it has either gotten worse over the years or when you were a kid you didn't care since you were at the beach. ;-)

But, seriously. Please clean up the June grass by Saturday.

PM blumtnrunner, she has 3 or 4 little helpers available to the lowest bidder.

Hi, ya'll. This is my first post, but have been a panhandle kid since living there in the early 60's (learned to swim in Choctaw. Bay and the gulf near Destin). Concerning the algae blooms-they were not as prolific back years ago due to the lower density population and the near absence of golf courses and developments that send fertilizers into the streams and coastal areas. Seaweed has always been around. It was a different world around the area back then, but it's still beautiful now and we need to preserve what's left that is still natural and pristine. Live in St. Augustine now, but we'll be back to Grayton in a week, always love it. This forum has been a great way to connect to a place dear to my family's heart-thought I should finally join in for a chat.

Auggie Girl

Auggie Girl
Good information. Makes sense.

We were at Topsail State Park last summer during the middle two weeks of July, and the water was beautiful for the first 10 days or so. Then the algae came along, and it was really green and slimy. Sounds like that is what is going on now, but earlier in the summer. Does anybody know if it goes away once it has arrived, or does it stay that way for the rest of the summer? We're coming July 12th.

Just like the weather, we can't predict what the seaweed is going to do tomorrow, next week, or next month.

If the seaweed or weather is not to your liking when you get here, I apologize in advance for the unpredictability of Mother Nature.

My group was in Seagrove last week. We had 2 very clear days, 2 heavy seaweed/sargassum days and 2 hit-and-miss days. We had a wonderful time everyday! Your trip will be terrific because you will be in SoWal. Best wishes for lots of fun.

We were at the beach in Dune Allen yesterday. There was a little bit of seaweed in the water. Not enough to bother us or anyone around us. None of the slimy stuff.

Thanks for the tip!

Just wanted to say thanks for the heads up about the sargassum weed. Had I not been faithfully scouring the Sowal boards before our vacation, I wouldn't have thought to investigate for critters in the seaweed, and the kids would have really missed out. We found several lantern fish, crabs and other things, and we had quite the aquarium going in our sand bucket every day.

We also managed to find hamburger beans and sea hearts washed up in the seaweed, too - two collectible things beachhounds will probably recognize. I've been surprisingly successful in all my previous trips at finding some really great shells -- lots of scotch bonnets, chestnut turbans, olives, moons, etc. -- but the sea beans were a treat because I'd never scrounged for those before, and the sargassum is a great place to find them.

Oh, and for those of you who love beachcombing as much as I do, I can highly recommend two books - Florida's Living Beaches and Florida Seashells. They're a wealth of info about whatever you might find washed up on the shore. I'd consider them a must if I were a resident...

Thanks again!

Seaweed

Hi, all! What's the news on the sargosso seaweed? Clearing or still heavy? We're clear here on the east coast, was a beautiful evening on the beach. We're arriving Sat. at Grayton. Thanks! Gal.

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Auggie Gal,

..St. Augustine is one of my favorite Florida cities! ..



.

My son lived in Saint Augustine for a couple of years and we loved visiting there. We often went to the downtown area for lunch etc. He lived in an rv park that had this wonderful flea market. What great memories.

Thanks for the warm welcome! We always get asked why we're leaving Saint Augustine for another beach to vacation, but the Gulf is so different than the Atlantic, and it's just so nostalgic for me to be in the area. We also wanted our children through the years to experience it, despite the changes from when I was a kid. It really was just beautiful sugar sand beaches and very few houses on the beachfront back then-the old timers knew to build away from th dunes. If you've never been to Saint Augustine, we have beautiful beaches too, and warm friendly folk. The old city is a great place to hang out and make memories. One of my favorite local bumper stickers is "St. Augustine, a little drinking village with a fishing problem". Bring your rod and reels! Looking forward to waking up Sunday in Grayton! Gal.

We went to the beach yesterday afternoon. At first we were mad because there was tons of seaweed washing up and it was a bit, um, pungent. I was surf fishing and as the stuff floated by, I noticed all sorts of critters that were hitchhiking on the sargassum. I gave up on fishing and started really looking at the little biospheres and it was amazing! Shrimp, crabs, all sorts of fish with markings similar to the weed were all over the stuff. Here is a link:http://www.imagequestmarine.com/photos/sargassum/index.htm

I urge everyone to take a look, especially if you have kids. They will be fascinated!

Here's a pic I shot under the weed

Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

I do what I can