Beach Info

South Walton Fire District (SWFD) lifeguards have completed spring training and will report to designated beach access locations on Saturday March 9, 2013.

Santa Rosa Beach encompasses quite a bit of South Walton. The beautiful name of our beautiful beach town can be a bit confusing because it's outline is not perfectly defined like most of our communities. It stretches from Sandestin along the bay and down to the gulf and along Scenic 30A.

The post office mailing address for much of South Walton is Santa Rosa Beach, so people who live in Point Washington or Blue Mountain Beach are often described as living in Santa Rosa Beach.

In the past, some folks loved to set up a camp on the beach for a week on South Walton beaches and leave all of their stuff so they wouldn't have to lug it back and forth every day. A couple of years ago the county put their foot (feets) down and said, "no more". Thus the "Leave No Trace" program was begun.

Whether seaweed is present on the beach or not is on one of the most frequently asked questions on the SoWal Forum for folks coming to visit. Here's a little info about seaweed from our partner, the South Walton TDC.
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Seaweed can be an issue along our beaches during certain times of the year. Though June is historically the month of greatest seaweed deposits, there is no way to predict when it will wash ashore in larger quantities or how long it will last.

The South Walton Community Council (SWCC) and South Walton’s Tourist Development Council (TDC) invite locals and visitors to participate in SWCC’s annual July 5th beach cleanup in South Walton. Locations included are Blue Mountain, Van Ness Butler Beach Access between Seaside and Watercolor, Dune Allen, Ed Walline, Grayton Beach, Inlet Beach, Miramar Beach, Rosemary Beach, and Seagrove Beach.

“Sit Quietly and Smile.” Anyone know what book that quote is from? While very therapeutic, in this fast paced world it is sometimes hard to do and people might look at you funny. But if you sit quietly and smile while watching a great blue heron fish for breakfast you won’t look the least bit odd.

Here are the SoWal Junior Lifeguard Program details from the South Walton Fire Department's Beach Safety Division. For the 5th consecutive year the popular SWFD Junior Lifeguard Program will be under the supervision of Gary Wise, South Walton Fire District Beach Safety Director assisted by the South Walton Fire District Professional Lifeguards.

We're committed to helping our visitors and locals stay safe while enjoying our beautiful beaches. Here are some tips to help keep you safe at the beach.

Never swim alone, always swim at beaches with lifeguards! Talk with a lifeguard before entering the water. Lifeguards are familiar with the beach and can tell you about conditions. 

Know how to swim and know your limitations! Swimming in a pool is NOT the same as swimming at a beach with crashing waves, winds and currents that can change suddenly.

While standing in waist-deep water off a beach in South Walton County, one where no lifeguard was on duty and no flags warned me of danger, a RIP CURRENT whisked me out to sea, tumbling me over and over like a washing machine. Because of training I had received as a Scuba diver, I was aware of what was happening to me and able to extricate myself from the danger. Having had this terrifying experience twenty years ago, I was happy to be invited to observe a week of lifeguard training in South Walton County and write this story.