Outdoor Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida » Surfing

Surf Fun and Sand Cleanup

Lindy — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:48:58 +0000

Tropical Storm Lee sent us a Labor Day weekend of high winds and rains. Lee left piles of sand in the parking lot and on the pavilion of Pensacola Beach, but it also brought in fun surf. Check out some photos.

Fort Walton and Navarre Beach Surfing Photos

Sandy — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:50:32 +0000

Surf’s up in Northwest Florida. On June 28th, Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic tropical season, stirred up the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Eventhough the tropical storm made land fall between the Texas/Mexico border, it’s effects were far reaching. You can tell by these photos that the storm generated waves that the surfers in the Northwest Florida enjoy seeing. The Piers of Okaloosa Island and Navarre Beach are very popular surfing spots, especially with this much wave action.

These action filled surfing photos were taken by Sandy O’Neal. Sandy lives in the Florida Panhandle (Milton to be precise) with her husband and 3 dogs (Sidney, Radar & Beau). Her passion is portrait photography and wedding photography. She also enjoy sports photography. She is also a freelance photographer for Panhandle Sports Broadcasting where they cover local high school and college sports. To learn more about Sandy O’Neal visit Sandy O’Neal Photography.

Fort Walton Beach Pier Surfing

Fort Walton Beach

Surfing at Fort Walton Beach

Surfing at Navarre Beach

Pensacola Beach Surfing on June 27

Shawn — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:10:48 +0000

Pensacola Beach Surfing Photos

Shawn — Sun, 16 May 2010 03:00:38 +0000

The surf and sand is great this time of year on Pensacola Beach. This past Friday we took the morning to do a little surfing and also catch some cool shots of local Pensacola surfers. The surf was about chest high. It was good to get out, get wet, and get some photos.

Water Safety Part 2- Beaches

Lindy — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:24:50 +0000

Our son surfing at the beach

How does a beautiful, sunny Spring day with white sands, emerald water and clean surf sound? Sounds like a perfect family weekend to me. The salty, cool water feels so relaxing. When I think about packing, I only want to take the essentials on the trip. One of those essential items happens to be a basic first aid kit. We love surfing and making sandcastles on the beach with the kids. I want my children to remember those great times at the beach and that means we need to go prepared.

This brings me to some water safety tips for beaches:

Swim in designated swimming areas-These are sometimes marked off places with lifeguard present.
Bring a first aid kit- Although lifeguards will have one, it is much easier to have a first aid kit right there with you- especially if you are beach camping and new a few extra items in the kit. Also, by having your own, you won’t distract the lifeguards attention away from watching the water. So, what should be in a simple first aid kit: Waterproof band-aids, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone cream for insect bites, aloe and for sure, put in vinegar and shaving cream or any of the new lotions for stings.
Never swim or surf alone- It can be tempting to go out by yourself if others are busy, but it’s not a good idea. If you need help, a friend would be closer help than a lifeguard.
Always wear sunscreen-Sunburns hurt and you really can get deadly skin cancer. Don’t wait until you or someone you know has skin cancer before you wear sunscreen. It only takes a minute to put on.
Life-jackets- You may not know, but a kayak is considered a form of a boat and you must wear a life-jacket while using. Kayaking through the surf is a lot of fun and sometimes dangerous, so wear a life-jackets. Our kids wear their life-jackets as they paddle out into the surf with us and then they like to jump off the kayak when we get close to shore.
Be aware of water conditions- Make sure to check the beach flags and know what they mean. It’s important to know if there is a rip current or red tide in the water in order to keep your family safe. Below are a list of the colored flags and their meanings. They are posted daily.

Don’t let fear keep you from getting in the water at the beach this year. There’s nothing better than cool, saltwater-especially during allergy season. There are a ton of fun things to do at the beach. Have a great time and be water safe!

No salt in your water? Fresh water is refreshing too. Join us for the final water safety section which will be about rivers.

Jellyfish photo by the_tahoe_guy

Pensacola Beach Surfing Photos – January 18th

Shawn — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:10:09 +0000

My family and I got up early this morning. Our destination was the beach. Our purpose was some sunrise photos. So, at 5:30 am we got the kids up and headed to the beach. After the sunrise, we headed to Pensacola Beach Pier to take a few photos of the surfers. The wind had shifted off shore over the night and the surf was clean. A few surfers were already out on the water when we arrived while many others were just getting there. Here’s some of the pics we captured.

Surfing Photos at Fort Pickens Point

Shawn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:04:02 +0000

The surf was up the day before tropical storm Ida. The point at Fort Pickens is a surfer haven when the surf is large. When everywhere else is too blown out, the point offers some clean surf on an east swell.

My family and I camped at Fort Pickens that weekend. We brought the bikes but not the boards. So, on Sunday after us campers were told to evacuate, we loaded up our stuff and got to take up surfing- not on water but through the camera lens. Here is a collection of surfing photos taken by my wife and I.