Destin Warnings Or Dangers Tips by myrtle Top 5 Page for this destination

Shark attacks

I was in Destin during the time when 3 people were attacked by sharks, one ending fatally. This is a tough subject to speak about since I really didn't see any sign of sharks in the area and never really saw any problems myself while we were there. Just be aware of this possibility and always be extremely careful. We chose to stick really close to the shore, which I normally do anyway. I saw on the news while we were there that someone had filmed some footage of a large school of bait fish that could be seen from far away. They were very close to the shore and all around the swimmers who seemed to have no idea they were there. I understand the sharks are going for these bait fish and feel threatened by humans whom they believe to also be going for these bait fish. All I can say is be extremely careful. There were still many, many people in the ocean while we were there even though we all knew of the possibilities of sharks. It wasn't slowing us down, so don't think you need to avoid the area for this. Just keep it in the back of your mind and remember to always use extreme caution.

Riptides

Watch out for the undertoe or riptides in the ocean. They can suck you under fast & bring you out further in the water than you want to go. It's really hard to avoid them when they're really strong. They've got a system in this area where they use colored flags to warn you of the surf conditions.

A red flag, like the one shown in this picture, warns of dangerous surf conditions & that riptides are present. It says to stay out of the water.

Red over red flag indicates the surf conditions are extremely dangerous & that the water is closed to public use.

A yellow flag indicates what you would expect...to procede with caution.

Blue or green flags indicate safe surf conditions.

This year they've added purple flags to indicate the presence of "marine pests" which often times meant jellyfish.

In order to escape rip currents the Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau say you should not panic or swim against the currents. You should float calmly until it lessens, swim parallel to shore until out of the rip current, or shout and wave for assistance.

Phone: 800-322-3319

Website: http://www.destin-fwb.com

Watch out for seaweed & jellyfish

If you go too late in the season you may run into a problem with lots of seaweed in the ocean. It's very disgusting & very disappointing if you go during this time because the color of the water is no longer as beautiful as it usually is, and you come out of the water finding seaweed in all kinds of places in your bathing suit. Also the jellyfish tend to be more numerous at this time of the year, too. Late in the season would be considered late August-September.

This picture of the flag system was given to us at our condo and comes from the Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. They've recently added a purple flag to warn of "marine pests", which in most cases for us meant jellyfish.

Phone: 800-322-3319

Website: http://www.destin-fwb.com