For some reason Pensacola Beach has been inordinately fortunate so far. We've had some inconsistent scatterings of mostly smallish tarballs (none as serious as the Okaloosa Island pic Jim provided, or at least not that I've seen). We've also had one fairly scary incursion of oil patches through our boom defenses and into Pensacola Bay and the Intracoastal (Santa Rosa Sound), and from there into a couple of lagoons. (Skimmers seem to have taken care of those.) But so far the areas just to our west (notably Perdido Key, FL, Gulf Shores, AL) have had it significantly worse. Not sure what to make of that, but, though not wishing this on others, am naturally not complaining.
Somehow, the big ugly plume of somewhat heavier oil that was expected to hit Pensacola Beach by noon Wednesday, just didn't materialize here, though the Perdido area took a hit. There were scattered small tar balls here Wed., and that distinctive, nasty oil odor on the air, but by today, at least in the area of PBeach I was on, the sands and water looked positively pristine, and even though the wind picked up out of the WSW later in the afternoon, there was no detectable oil odor.
The leading edge of signficant oil has, for now, moved off to our east (that's what hit Okaloosa Island - so sorry, weathergirl), and the powers that be predict continued east movement, offshore, through the weekend. So, yet another reprieve for us -- though more direct south winds could easily threaten us again -- and by now we are all emotionally drained from the unrelenting roller coaster ride.
But today was just too beautiful to feel that way, so I tried not to -- in fact, a beach pal and I spent most of the hot afternoon paddling around in the Gulf, exclaiming how beautiful it was and what a crying shame these great beach days were going to waste for all the tourists who stayed home or went elsewhere.
Our businesses continue to suffer greatly. It's all in the perception, and we can hardly blame anyone for being afraid to come, but through this weekend, at least (and that's about as far out as anyone can go with these oiling predictions) it appears that, other than the so-far fairly innocuous "area of uncertainty," the spill will stay to our south and continue moving east, not affecting Pensacola Beach -- with the possible exception, again, of a few scattered tarballs, which I have found very easy to spot and avoid.
So come on down! Betcha get a terrific room rate.
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