How was the beach?

I cried after seeing this video. I am from Baton Rouge orignally and fished the gulf and marshes most of my adult life. The beaches may not be bad but this is a sin and a shame. I pray that GOD guides us to a solution.

www.cnn.com/.../natpkg.ireport.oil.spill.iReport

Our family vacationed on Anna Maria Island, FL from June 26 to July 3.  The island has Tampa Bay on the east and the Gulf of Mexico on the west, and it was a beautiful, oil-free, vacation spot.  We're from the Indianapolis area, so we were quite concerned driving so far away, but saw no evidence of the oil disaster at all.  My wife found some online blogs about beach conditions, which gave us some peace of mind before we left.  In the end, I was glad to be able to go and support all the local businesses that are hurting by the negative press throughout the country, and we had a fabulous time in the process!

We just returned from a week at Crystal Beach in Destin, FL. It was absolutely beautiful (except for the bad weather the 1st couple of days). We go there every year for 4th of July week (I'm from Baton Rouge, LA, so it's a short drive) with my 3 kids, their spouses & 2 grandkids. Not as crowded as it usually is, due to the negative media reports. We almost canceled a couple of times, but kept getting good video from the landlord of the beach house we rent, who also offered us a guarantee to refund our fee if we weren't pleased after we got there. We only saw a few pea-sized tar balls, the sand was sugary white & the water was emerald green and crystal clear (as usual). We've seen much worse debris than those tar balls on the beach in our 20 years of going to Destin every year - I highly recommend that you contact the rental management of wherever you plan to stay in Destin for reports and videos - if it wasn't for that, we would have probably canceled.

My family and I were down in Pinellas county in June and the beaches were PERFECT! The weather was beautiful and we had the best time in quite awhile. The beaches were clean and there was no signs of the oil spill anywhere near there. I would have like to have spent more time there but only had a week. Our granddaughter got a beautiful tan!

I am a resident of Pensacola.  This past weekend was "Red, White, & Blues" weekend on P'cola Beach (the annual Blue Angels show held out there).  The sand and water were absolutely 100% perfect.  Not a sign of oil or tar anywhere.  There were thousands and thousands of people out there.

Our family went to Navarre Beach, FL for the week of the 4th of July & it was beautiful as always - white sandy beaches - NO TAR!  Go & support the beaches!

My son just got back from vacationing at Panama City Beach and there was no sign of oil on the beaches.  He also went jetskiing in the ocean and did not see oil.  PCB is on the panhandle of FL.

My daughter was married on Anna Marie Island on June 12 and we spent the next week there on vacation.  The water was crystal clear blue and the beaches pristine.  This area is like my 2nd home ... and I was so thankful to see it had not been affected by the oil spill.  (first home in Lafayette, Indiana)  I would encourage anyone wanting to visit FL to go to this area and know it will be beautiful!

We just spent June 25 through July 5 at Navarre Beach, between Pensacola and Destin. The water and beaches were absolutely beautiful--no oil, no jellyfish, and very little seaweed that can cloud the water.  We dodged the rain the week we were there.  We found only a few small pea size tar balls along the beach--nothing you would notice if you were unaware of the oil spill.  Take your vacation--ours was wonderful.  The beaches are not crowded and there was very little traffic compared to other summers.

Our family just returned from gulf shores this past Saturday.  No oil, beautiful.  If you are planning a trip, go!

We went to Destin a few weeks ago.  My husband thinks he saw a TINY amount of oil, but he came in for a sandwich and when he went back it was gone.  I highly recommend going.  The beaches were beautiful and we had an awesome time.  We rented a condo, and the condo owner even gave us one night free since so many people were cancelling.

We were in Destin, FL., on June 23rd- 29th. On the 24th, we were having lunch in the condo we rented located on the 23rd floor of the building. We sat on the balcony and could literally see the line of oil coming in. We went down to the beach and watched the tar balls wash in. It remained that way all day, but the next couple of days the tar balls started to disappear. The kids dug a deep hole in the sand to lay in and it filled with water from the bottom, it was almost brown and stunk like unrefined oil! We noticed lots of dead little shells lying all along the beach and the little crabs we hunted and played with at night weren't even around. So, to say the beach is beautiful and exactly the same is not truly what we experienced first hand and we were there the exact day the tar balls started to wash up. The damage below the surface is what there should be great concern for, we wouldn't even let the kids play in the sand near the shoreline after that. Sad sad sad.

I am so blessed to live in Sarasota, Florida!  We bring our beach chairs to Siesta Key Beach where there is the softest, coolest, and whitest of beaches, sit by the water, enjoying the most beautiful blue waters which are so crystal clear you can see the most beautiful sand dollars!  It's like a little peak into paradise!  As I sit and see all the beauty in this place, I am reminded, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, God knows our fears of this terrible oil spill, we need to pray for a miracle.

We vacationed at Indian Shores Jun 24-30.  The beaches were beautiful and clean.  We saw lots of dolphins fishing out there and when we went to John's Pass we saw Manatee also.

I know that other beaches are not so lucky and I pray for those areas all the time.

I am a resident and reservationist in Pensacola Beach, Florida. Our beaches are beautiful and our sand is still white as snow. However, we are hurting for tourism. Please view our website @ pensacolabeach-rentals.com and we will discount rates severly and offer full refund if due to oil. If you can not vacation with us, please keep us constantly in your prayers. Our enviornment, livlihood, and spirits are being threatened...but we know OUR GOD IS GREATER

Toll Free 1-866-884-7419

We went to Gulf Shores about 2 weeks ago and the beaches were beautiful.  The oil was seen only in the afternoon after the tide would begin, but it wasnt that bad.  There was a little tar on the beach, but otherwise it was BEAUTIFUL.

I'm in Clearwater Beach, FL for the summer on a summer project with Campus Crusade for Christ, and the beaches here are great.  However, tourism is definitely struggling.  It took a long time for many people on project to get jobs, which is usually not the case.

Destin was beautiful last week!  Not a single bit of Oil!

My daughters and I spent July 8-12 at Perdido Key, FL. It is located between Orange Beach, AL and Pensacola, FL. It was absolutely beautiful! We went into the water everyday and it was crystal clear. The umbrella rental guy said his business was down 85% because of the oil spill, even though they have not had any problems there.
We ate in restaurants at Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and the food was as delicious as ever. We were accustomed to having a long wait at any restaurant. On this trip, we waited 15 minutes at one place, otherwise, we were seated immediately.
I go to the gulf beaches several times a year and I intend to continue. This ranks among one of our very best beach trips!

My friend and i went to Florida from June 19th to June 26th.  We went to Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, Ft Myers Beach,  Bonita Beach and Venice Beach.  They were all beautiful!!  There was no oil and no crowds.  Please support the locals by vacationing.  Thanks and God Bless

We just returned from Pensacola - July 12.  Beaches and water in the gulf were gorgeous- no oil! The air show featuring the Blue Angels was amazing.

I was at St. Petersburg Beach and Treasure Island beach June 26th - July 5th.
The beaches are clear and beautiful. No oil in sight.

Are you able to get in the water?

We went to Gulf Shores, AL 2 weeks ago and it was beautiful and oil free. Even if you do see a tar ball the community and businesses need your support now, not when its all gone!  The one thing we can do as a nation is visit the gulf towns for vacation; the next several weeks and even next year.  Let's help these amazing towns stay up and running so we won't miss them when it's too late!!  

My family and I vacationed in Panama City Beach, Fl June 26- July 3rd.  It was absolutely beautiful!  We never saw any oil or tar balls.  We did see the planes flying over each day and there were some workers walking the beach looking for it, but that was all.  The water was warm, gogeous and safe!  If you have plans to go, keep them.  Do not cancel.  The people in this area need support.  The restaurants and businesses are definitly suffering due to the cancellations, etc.  God Bless.

Hello Lisa & Eric, I live in Beautiful Pensacola and I go to the beaches regular basis. The Beaches at Pensacola Beach is Clean. They clean it daily and tha same with Ft. Pickensyes there is some sheen in patches of the water,but you can avoid the .Now if you go to Navarre you will find Absolutly Nothing.So to all you people who want to come to Pensacola it is safe and clean enough to swim and play on our Beaches,Please come and support our local Businesses they are hurting because of this man made disaster.  God Bless ya'll  P.S. thank ya'll from k-Love for what you do,say and stand for I Love you

My family just returned from Panama City Beach this week.  The ocean was beautiful, as were the beaches.  There was no oil in sight!