The coast moves.These notes keep up.
Short, dated notes on what the gulf is doing now: the water, the weather, the fleet, the light. Replaced as the season turns.
All The Season entries, most recent first
10 entries · Most recent first
The season · · The Gulf Coast
The Gulf in September
The gulf's warmest water arrives after the crowds leave. On the strange, generous month at the end of the Florida summer, and how to take it seriously.
[ warmest water of the year. empty sand. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
Scallop Season Opens Across the Bay
Bay scallop season opens along Florida's Big Bend in July: a mask, a mesh bag, seagrass shallows, and the closest thing the gulf has to an Easter hunt.
[ mask, mesh bag, july. that is the kit. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
The Fourth on the Islands: Where to Watch, Where to Hide
Independence Day on the gulf beach towns: where the fireworks sit, how the traffic behaves, and how to watch it all from a folding chair on the sand.
[ chairs out by six. or porch, and watch it small. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
Turtle Nights: The Coast After Dark, May to October
Sea turtle nesting season runs May through October on the gulf beaches: what the staked-off nests mean, why the lights go amber, and how to watch well.
[ lights amber after nine. holes filled. that is all they ask. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
Red Tide, Read Honestly
What red tide actually is, how patchy it really runs, where to check conditions before a gulf trip, and how an honest operator handles the bad weeks.
[ check the state map. ask us straight. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
The Long Evenings: June Light on the Gulf
June runs the gulf's longest evenings: sunset near nine, two hours of gold before it, and the beach at its best after the crowds leave for dinner.
[ beach at six. dinner at nine. flip the day. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
The Afternoon Storm, Read Like a Local
Summer on the gulf runs on an afternoon thunderstorm you can nearly set a watch by. How the sea-breeze machine works, and how to plan a day around it.
[ morning swim. long lunch. let it rain. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
The Tarpon Run Passes the Passes
From May into July the tarpon migration traces the gulf beaches and stacks the passes: the coast's great fish event, watchable from bridge and boat.
[ dawn on the pass. watch for rolling backs. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
The Warm Shallows: Early Summer Water, Explained
Why June's knee-deep gulf already feels like August, how the shallow shelf banks heat, and why early summer is the sweet spot for small swimmers.
[ june water, august feel, spring crowds. ]
The season · · The Gulf Coast
June First: Reading Hurricane Season Honestly
Hurricane season opens June first and runs through November. What those dates actually mean for a gulf stay, and how to plan inside them honestly.
[ the season is a permission slip, not a forecast. ]
Elsewhere in the diary