PJs in the river

When we see the plane above circling over the Banana River in south Cocoa Beach in the afternoon, we know to expect these below. Pararescuemen (PJs) out of Patrick Air Force Base jumping and landing in the river. We're proud to be the home of these brave, highly specialized troops.

Back to normal

Swell is finally gone. It was good while it lasted.

Irene swell Friday Aug 26, 2011

The surf cleaned up rapidly after Irene passed by and was in
great shape by early afternoon Friday. Here are a few shots
from south Cocoa Beach. Still in great shape this morning,
Saturday, but is dropping fast.

Morning after

A few shots from high tide at daybreak this morning Friday Aug. 26, 2011.
Erosion was minimal and we only lost a few of the easternmost
minor dune plants. Water crested the first edge and pooled in
between the dunes with no major effect. Having low tide coincide
with the peak of the wave heights was helpful. Reports from Elbow
Cay in Abaco are that the dune was breached between the Abaco Inn
and Sea Spray with the ocean washing into White Sound in the same
place that it did during Floyd.

5 PM update [updated]

The waterline in south Cocoa Beach around 5 PM Thursday 8/25.
We're starting to lose some beach. Intermittent showers and winds
at the 20 mile buoy of 23 knots and swell of 15.1 feet.
_____________________________________
[update: 6:50 PM] Water starting to eat away at the closest dunes.



Turtle nest marker below is seaward of the actual nest.



7 PM getting higher as the tide drops.

Irene passing by tomorrow

Yesterday afternoon above (Wednesday 8/24/11). The swell was building but no erosion yet. Fingers crossed for the dune vegetation in the picture. Waves were powerful and overhead. Wind at the 20 mile buoy was 15 knots and the swell was 5.9 feet at 12.9 seconds. This morning just after high tide (below) the sea is angrier but no erosion yet. I'd hate to be a baby turtle that hatched last night and had to punch out through the surf. At 6 AM the 20 mile buoy is showing swell of 10.2 feet at 12.1 seconds with a wind wave of 6.9 feet on top of that.

Here today

There's a good chance that these beach flowers will not survive the swell that is coming from Hurricane Irene. Long period swell is already showing in Cocoa Beach this morning and the storm is still around the corner raging through the Turks and Caicos. If the forecast track is correct and she passes about 120 miles off the coast, we will probably have significant beach erosion even though the winds will not be strong. Surf could easily be in the 10' plus range.

SUPs at sundown

A couple of standup paddleboarders on the Banana River in
south Cocoa Beach at sundown.

Tarpon time

I slipped the kayak in off the beach yesterday after the rain to chase tarpon. There were hundreds of 40 to well over 100 pound fish feeding on the pogies from below while the pelicans were bombing from above. At one point about a dozen pogies jumped into my kayak trying to escape the hungry tarpon chasing them.

Jupiter, here we come

NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter launching yesterday atop an Atlas V
rocket as seen from the end of Minutemen Cswy in Cocoa Beach. Two
years from now the spacecraft will do a fly-by of Earth to get a gravity
assist to speed it on it's way to arrive at Jupiter in July 2016.

Spring tide at daybreak

Super low tide in south Cocoa Beach at a misty daybreak August 5, 2011.