I visited an island on Florida's panhandle that made me feel like I was vacationing in the Caribbean
The breathtaking white sand beaches made me feel like I was in the Caribbean.
I also loved how family-friendly the area is and how many good local restaurants there are.
When planning a family vacation last summer, I knew I wanted to travel somewhere with white sand beaches, warm, clear blue water, and sunny weather. However, I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a Caribbean vacation.
Instead, I booked a trip to Okaloosa Island, which is located on Florida's panhandle in an area nicknamed the Emerald Coast.
Okaloosa, which is a section of the larger Santa Rosa island, is only a short drive from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, making for an easy getaway from my home in New York.
Whether for a quick weekend trip or a relaxing family vacation, this under-the-radar destination is the perfect, wallet-friendly alternative to the Caribbean.
In my opinion, Okaloosa Island's beaches rival those in the Caribbean.
Although I knew I was in Florida, the beaches on Okaloosa Island reminded me of Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos.
The gleaming white sand, which feels almost as soft as flour, is made from fine quartz crystals eroded from the Appalachian Mountains.
The water's vivid blue-green color is another aspect that sets these beaches apart from others I've been to.
Okaloosa Island is close to other major Florida beach destinations.
Okaloosa Island is situated near other lively towns like Fort Walton Beach and Destin, giving us tons of options for activities and dining.
We spent a fun-filled afternoon in Destin Harbor Boardwalk, making the most of the attractions like the bungee trampoline and the many ice cream spots.
However, the best part was that we could escape to our quieter beach town at the end of the day.
We found some great local spots for food.
I love trying local restaurants when on vacation, and I found some surprisingly cool spots to grab coffee or food in the area.
Some of our favorites included The Gulf, an open-air restaurant built from old shipping containers on the bayfront, and the food trucks in nearby downtown Fort Walton Beach.
Another fun spot is Lulus in Destin, which is owned by the sister of legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.
We found plenty of things to do in the area.
Although I love relaxing on the beach, I also enjoy getting out and about. During our trip, we found a variety of activities on Okaloosa Island and beyond.
One day, we went on a pontoon snorkeling trip to Spectre Island and saw manatees near the boat. We also rented paddleboards and paddled around Choctawhatchee Bay.
Okaloosa Island is family-friendly.
Another thing I love about Okaloosa Island is how much there is to keep the little ones entertained.
One highlight of our trip was the Little Adventurers program, which offers free classes for kids of all ages. The classes are meant to introduce them to activities like surfing, snorkeling, and pinfishing.
There were outposts on the beach where we signed up for daily activities. My younger daughter tried pinfishing and was very proud of herself for catching one.
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Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
Tiger Sharks Are Now Converging En Masse On The Florida Panhandle
Alex Fogg, Shane Reynolds and Kinga Philipps document a tiger shark beneath Island Pier between Fort Walton Beach and Destin, Florida. Shane Reynolds The Island Pier juts 1,262 feet out from the sugary, white sands of Florida's Okaloosa Island, between Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Since the early 1970s, this pier and its predecessors been etched in sunset photos of the Gulf Coast, casting silhouettes on sunburned vacationers spanning generations of American travelers. For decades, this pier and other familiar panhandle sites like the Pensacola Beach water tower, Big Kahuna's waterpark and the ever-present rumble of fighter jets up and down the coast, the pier on Okaloosa Island have changed little as the communities of this coast have grown from fishing villages into condominium-lined cathedrals of salt and sun. Today, more than 5.3 million beachgoers travel to this stretch of the Florida panhandle each year. Most migrate annually from homes within driving distance from the seashore. In the suburbs of cities like Atlanta, Birmingham, Houston, Nashville, New Orleans and Memphis, 'Salt Life' stickers and circular '30A' icons cling to the windows of SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans. Each denote that the owner is a member of a kind of deep fried vacation club whose members journey to this accessible slice of paradise located within driving distance of the comforts of home. In the past four years, those vacationers have been joined by a new kind of visitor that has been migrating en masse to Okaloosa Island — tiger sharks. Since 2021, schools of tiger sharks have been mysteriously converging on the Island Pier. What seemingly began as a aggregation of around ten sharks has now grown to a cumulative population that could exceed 100 different individuals throughout the summer. Researchers now believe the event may now represent one of the largest gatherings of tiger sharks in the world. A tiger shark swims alongside Island Pier on Okaloosa Island, Florida. Shane Reynolds Destin-Fort Walton Beach and a group of research partners have been using an acoustic tag monitoring station at The Island pier to document the movement of other fish species since 2021. Prior to that time, most of the data recorded was produced by roaming sportfish like tarpon or redfish as well as sea turtles and other shark species. Recent summers; however, have started to change that picture. 'We've tagged almost 40 tiger sharks in total' says Destin-Fort Walton Beach Natural Resources Chief Alex Fogg. 'Based on tag data, it seems like there are a lot of animals that we have not tagged that are coming in and out of the system. We could have two or three times the number of sharks in the area than we have tagged.' A marine biologist by trade, Fogg keeps one foot in the biology door and a thumb on the pulse of tourism in Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Fogg and the Destin Fort-Walton Beach Natural Resources team are working with Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University and the U.S. Geological Survey to learn more about where the sharks are coming from, and why they've decided to linger around this specific pier. The sharks appear to be drawn in by a naturally-occurring death of thousands of Clupedia forage fish around the pier. Researchers theorize that the tiny bait fish are schooling in such numbers that they deplete the available oxygen in the water around them, created a school-induced hypoxia that causes a mass die off. Fogg says tiger sharks, a notoriously lazy predator, usually arrive a day later to clean up the mess. So far, acoustic and satellite tag data has shown sharks migrating to the Island Pier aggregation from as far away as the Florida Keys and western areas in the Gulf of Mexico. However, research teams believe the sharks may be arriving at the pier from as far away as the East Coast and the Caribbean. Island Pier also offers a relatively protected area for the apex predators to dine. Shark fishing is banned on the pier, and while anglers can catch and harvest tiger sharks in federal waters, Florida state waters create a nine-mile, no-take protection area for the animals. Anglers cast lines for sport fish from Island Pier while more than a dozen tiger sharks swim below. Shark fishing is banned on the pier. Shane Reynolds An Unprecedented Opportunity for Ecotourism Among tiger sharks, Island Pier appears to be unique. Though similar fishing piers are located in nearby Pensacola, Navarre Beach and Panama City, tiger sharks are not appearing in the same numbers there. The behavior pattern may be reliable enough to create a boon for ecotourism in the region. On June 30, Fogg's team installed an underwater camera beneath the Island Pier providing a streaming that will go live later this summer. Right now, the tiger shark aggregation is still largely flying under the ecotourism radar. However, a clue to its future impact could lie on another American coastline 2,300 miles away in California. Each year, an estimated 80,000 travelers venture to California's Pismo Beach to see a congregation of tens of thousands of iridescent, orange Monarch butterflies lingering in a diminutive Eucalyptus grove. There, the monarchs contribute to an estimated $158 million economic impact in San Luis Obispo County. Island Pier is uniquely positioned to benefit from a similar ecotourism draw. If the pattern holds, travelers could soon be marking their calendars for the tiger shark aggregation on Okaloosa Island. 'I don't think you will find this anywhere else in the world,' says Shane Reynolds, a Destin-based cinematographer who volunteers with Fogg's Natural Resources crew to gather data from submerged monitoring stations near Island Pier. 'Normally, if you are going to see a tiger shark aggregation, you need a passport and a boat. You need a dive certification. Here, you just need two dollars to walk out onto the pier and you can watch them without even getting wet.' Destin Fort-Walton Beach Natural Resources team members document sharks beneath the water and check subsurface acoustic tag monitoring stations below Island Pier. Shane Reybolds Until now, casual visitors to the Florida Panhandle have never had an opportunity to see apex marine life like tiger sharks this easily. In fact, leading tiger shark experts say the gathering that has continued to grow on Okaloosa Island is unlike any other event in the world. 'You really have an incredible opportunity to watch this co-habitation of apex predators and people that has been happening for four years now,' says shark conservationist and Discovery Shark Week host Kinga Philipps. Philipps is one of the world's most visible advocates for tiger sharks, having filmed extensively in the water with them on scientific expeditions around the globe. 'To see them in numbers, you'd normally have to go to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas or Tiger Zoo in the Maldives. You may have to go to French Polynesia. Up until now, tiger sharks have not been super accessible. They have an exotic appeal to people because they aren't normally seen by beachgoers. To have the ability to stand on a pier and literally count sharks from above is insane.' Tiger sharks are scene from a helicopter above Island Pier on Ocaloosa Island, Florida. Shane Reynolds Co-Existing With Travelers Researchers believe there is space for both human and non-human travelers to share Island Pier in the summer. In 2024, there were 47 confirmed unprovoked cases of shark attacks on humans. Only two of those attacks (one in Hawaii and one in Australia) were attributed to tiger sharks. In both cases, humans were inadvertently infringing on the shark's space. At Island Pier, Swimming and diving activities are restricted year round. Diving is not allowed without a permit. Swimming is not allowed within 150 feet of the pier. Researchers believe the sharks already have room and space to feed. Fogg, Reynolds and Philipps are all quick to note that in the four years this shark aggregation has been observed, no swimmers have been harmed by the animals, either. At Island Pier, tiger sharks are showing little interest in beachgoers away from the pier. Food sources they might normally prey on—like passing sea turtles and tarpon—appear to be disregarded in favor of an easy mouthful of bait fish. 'These tiger sharks spend all day circling the bait fish and eating the dead ones off of the bottom,' explains Reynolds. 'It's a simple life for them, and it's pretty fruitful. They are all pretty fat and happy.' There is hope that by drawing attention to the aggregation, visitors will be more mindful of research efforts taking place during peak visitation months and be more curious about the world of tiger sharks. 'So far, we are all good around the pier,' adds Philipps. 'But there does need to be an awareness and a consciousness of their presence. People need to know that these sharks are not messing with people, but they do exist at Okaloosa Island in numbers.'
Associated Press
02-06-2025
- Associated Press
Newman-Dailey Introduces Father's Day Travel Ideas to Give Dad His Wish in Destin, Florida
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Washington Post
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- Washington Post
What keeps the safety director of the most vulnerable spot in US up at night before hurricane season
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