I want people to see what Destin's beaches actually look like - right here, right now.

I'm unwilling to run the hype shots that either the pumpers of the area wish you to see, nor will I run BS claiming that there's "oil everywhere" when there's not.

I've lived here since 2000.  This is my home.  I know what the water usually looks like, feels like, smells like.  I know what the beaches are like.  I've seen the people claiming "oil everywhere!" and I've also seen folks saying "it's just like it's always been, come spend your money!"

The truth is neither of those things.

All these pictures were taken today.  Click any of them for a larger copy at the original resolution.

First, this is what our beaches usually look like all the way to the waterline:

Very nice.  Sugar sand.  White.  Beautiful.

But this is what the water line looks like NOW:

If you haven't been here before you might not recognize that this doesn't look quite right.  Trust me - it doesn't.   If you look more closely, you'll see a couple of problems:

Hmmm.... we don't allow driving our our beaches, and that's heavy equipment.  In fact, someone was out here, probably this morning, doing a lot of scraping or other "contouring."  Tarballs or mats?  I don't know.  What I do know is that the green "plant-like" material isn't usually around here either, and it looks kinda like it has been bleached by something.  Dispersant?  No idea, but the only thing we usually see on the beaches in this regard (other than the usual shells and such) is sargassum and similar weeds that are usually around offshore and occasionally wash up.

Then there's the water:

It's green too.  It's not real noticeable, but it's there.

Now I will not tell you that this is "tarball city", but this also isn't what I'm used to seeing here. 

To be fair, they say there's nothing wrong with the water...

But I'll pass on swimming in it.

I know what our beaches are supposed to be like, and this isn't it.

If I come across actual visible oil here, I'll post another one of these Tickers.  So far, I don't see any, and while there is a slightly-peculiar odor to the air on the beach, it doesn't smell like oil.  I've also yet to smell oil at my home, which is on the bay - not the gulf.

But I'm suspicious about the obvious "grooming" of the beach, the compaction of the sand and the fact that it's wet "too far" up the beach (implying that it's been dug/sifted/whatevered), the equipment tracks extending as far as I can see and the washed-up, bleached-appearing seaweed-type material everywhere, including in the water, along with the greenish tint to the water itself - water that is usually exceptionally clear.

None of this is what I'm used to, and I've lived here for a decade.

It's.... well...... ordinary.

Destin has always been anything but.

Until now.