Beach Archive

This year has been eventful for the Navarre Beach Lifeguards. With over 1.7 million visitors to Navarre Beach during lifeguarding season (March through October), NBLG had to respond to a litany of issues including medical calls, missing persons, distressed swimmers and surfers, and code enforcements.

Although the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center is focused on sea turtles, they care deeply about all the other creatures that inhabit the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners approved a contingent contract on Oct. 1 that is the next step in acquiring the historic SS United States and converting the historic ocean liner into the world’s largest artificial reef.

Saturday, Oct. 12, Navarre Beach will once again “shell-abrate” sea turtles with Sea Turtle Extravaganza.

The Tourist Development Council (TDC), which is the county board responsible for directing the Tourist Development Office (TDO) and their plans, has released initial conceptual plans for a new visitor center and boardwalk along the Gulf side of Navarre Beach. The boardwalk, which will be built in two phases, will feature eight retail shops and stretch from the Navarre Beach main parking lot (near Windjammers on the Pier) to the Dolphin Pavilion in the Navarre Beach Marine Park. The eight shops will be in four buildings.

Sept. 25, 2024 | 4:45 p.m. As Hurricane Helene neared landfall in Florida, surfers were taking advantage of the large swells at Navarre Beach on Thursday, Sept. 26. Photos by Hansen Hasenberg.  

Navarre Beach Fishing Pier is one of the leading areas for sea turtle strandings in the state of Florida. Despite Navarre Beach’s relatively small size (it’s only about 4 miles long), the pier and surrounding area can see anywhere from 45 to 67 turtles a year being rescued from fishing line, hooks and other entrapments. This year, that number is 56, and that’s only through September.

Each year, around seven million people visit the Emerald Coast. While they may come for the green water, sugary white sand, and sunshine, local businesses and county governments are counting on those visitors to bring a different kind of green with them.

Each year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, first responders from across the Emerald Coast gather at Summerwind Resort on Navarre Beach for a memorial stair climb.

Do you know your purpose?

That’s one of the questions Kevin Laliberte asks participants in his biannual surfing classes. The classes, which are taken over a five-week course, are meant to help veterans and soon-to-retire active-duty members of the U.S. military find themselves post-service through “surf therapy.”