Beach · Pensacola Beach to Destin
Beach safety
Source: NWS Mobile surf zone forecast · Checked Oct 14, 2026, 3:18 p.m. CT
Navarre is the home base. The surf product below also names Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin. Live flag colors are not repeated here. Beach flags.
Rip current and surf
National Weather Service Mobile issued its surf zone forecast at 3:03 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026. The Florida section is Escambia Coastal, Santa Rosa Coastal, and Okaloosa Coastal, including the beaches of Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin.
Today. Rip current risk low. Surf 1 foot or less. UV index high. Water temperature in the upper 70s. Sunny. High in the mid 80s. North winds around 5 mph, becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tide lines printed in that section: Pensacola Pass low 0.3 feet (MLLW) at 11:51 a.m. CDT; Navarre Beach low 0.2 feet (MLLW) at 9:15 a.m. CDT; East Pass (Destin) low 0.1 feet (MLLW) at 11:51 a.m. CDT.
Tonight. Rip current risk low. Surf around 1 foot. Clear. Low in the lower 70s. South winds around 5 mph in the evening, becoming light and variable. Tide lines: Pensacola Pass high 1.4 feet (MLLW) at 12:13 a.m. CDT; Navarre Beach high 1.8 feet (MLLW) at 10:45 p.m. CDT; East Pass (Destin) high 0.9 feet (MLLW) at 1:03 a.m. CDT.
Thursday. Rip current risk low. Surf around 1 foot. Sunny. High in the mid 80s. Northeast winds around 5 mph, becoming southeast in the afternoon. Tide lines: Pensacola Pass low 0.3 feet (MLLW) at 12:59 p.m. CDT; Navarre Beach low 0.2 feet (MLLW) at 10:44 a.m. CDT; East Pass (Destin) low 0.1 feet (MLLW) at 12:59 p.m. CDT.
Extended, same Florida section. Thursday night: low risk, surf around 1 foot, mostly clear, lows in the mid 70s, south winds around 5 mph. Friday: low risk, surf around 1 foot, mostly sunny, highs in the lower 80s, northeast winds around 5 mph. Friday night: low risk, surf 1 to 2 feet, partly cloudy, cooler, lows in the lower 60s, northwest winds around 15 mph. Saturday: moderate risk, surf 2 to 3 feet, sunny and cooler, highs in the lower 70s, breezy, north winds around 25 mph. Saturday night: high risk, surf 2 to 3 feet, mostly clear, lows around 60, breezy, northeast winds around 25 mph. Sunday: high risk, surf 3 to 5 feet, sunny, highs in the lower 70s, breezy, northeast winds around 25 mph.
The product’s rip-current categories: Low means the risk is low, however life-threatening rip currents often occur in the vicinity of groins, jetties, reefs, and piers. Moderate means life-threatening rip currents are possible in the surf zone. High means life-threatening rip currents are likely in the surf zone.
NWS rip-current safety page, checked the same afternoon: check the local beach forecast before you leave and talk to the lifeguard; only swim at a beach with lifeguards (the page cites U.S. Lifesaving Association chances of drowning at a beach with lifeguards as 1 in 18 million); don’t assume a calm, sunny day means it is safe to swim or play in the shallows. weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent
Florida DEP’s beach warning flag page says the flags provide general warnings about overall surf conditions and do not specifically advise the public of the presence of rip currents. That page’s “Last Modified” line is Thursday, Jul 17, 2025. Beach Warning Flag Program
Lightning
Source: NWS lightning tips · Checked Oct 14, 2026, 3:18 p.m. CT
This is national guidance, not a forecast that a storm is over Navarre right now. From weather.gov/safety/lightning-tips:
- No place outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area.
- If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
- When you hear thunder, immediately move to a substantial building with electricity or plumbing, or an enclosed metal-topped vehicle with the windows up.
- Stay in that shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
Indoors, the same page says stay off corded phones, computers, and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity; avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths, and faucets; stay away from windows and doors and stay off porches; do not lie on concrete floors and do not lean against concrete walls.
If no safe shelter is nearby, the page’s last-resort list is: get off elevated areas; never lie flat on the ground; never shelter under an isolated tree; never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter; get out and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water; stay away from objects that conduct electricity.
Jellyfish and the purple flag
Source: Escambia County flag system · Checked Oct 14, 2026, 3:18 p.m. CT
Escambia County’s Pensacola Beach flag page labels purple “Stinging Marine Life.” It says purple flags are flown when jellyfish, Portuguese man o’ war, or other stinging marine life are present, and to exercise caution in the water and along the shoreline. It also says the absence of surf warning flags does not assure water safety. Escambia flag system
For the latest on evacuation zones and storm recovery, see the storm page.
Bay County’s beach-flag page, which covers Panama City rather than Navarre, says a purple flag means potentially dangerous ocean animals have been spotted, and it names stingrays and jellyfish. It says the flag can fly alone or with other colors, and to use extreme caution if the water is not closed. Bay County beach safety flags
For current colors at every beach, including any purple flag, see the flags page.
Water quality
Source: Florida Department of Health · Checked Oct 14, 2026, 3:18 p.m. CT
For current water sample results, check the Florida Department of Health beach water page for your beach.
Escambia County. DOH-Escambia says it samples bi-weekly from March to October for enterococci. Categories on that page: Good, 0–35; Moderate, 36–70; Poor, 71 or greater enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water. A result of 71 or greater may require a resample before an advisory. The advisory sign states that swimming or other water contact is not recommended due to high bacterial levels. Phone on the page: 850-595-6700. DOH-Escambia beaches
Okaloosa County. DOH-Okaloosa says samples are collected every other week from March to October, with results shared by press release no later than Thursday of the sampling week. Categories: Good, 0–35 CFU per 100 ml; Moderate, 36–70; Poor, greater than 70. Named sites include Liza Jackson Park, Garniers Park, Marler Park, Wayside Park, Poquito Bayou, Lincoln Park, Henderson Beach State Park, Fred Gannon/Rocky Bayou State Park, James Lee Park, Emerald Promenade, and Taylor Park. The page says bacteria levels may change between tests, and that significant rainfall with stormwater runoff may raise enterococci. Fort Walton phone: 850-833-9247. DOH-Okaloosa healthy beaches
Santa Rosa County. A July 25, 2025 notice said samples at Navarre Beach public accesses 37A and 40B did not meet water-quality standards for Enterococcus. Call DOH-Santa Rosa at 850-983-5275 to ask whether an advisory is in effect. DOH-Santa Rosa, July 25, 2025
Red tide
Source: FWC red tide current status · Checked Oct 14, 2026, 3:18 p.m. CT
FWC’s statewide status page, with a status map dated October 9, 2026, says the next report will be issued Friday, October 16. In Northwest Florida over the past week, Karenia brevis was observed at background concentrations offshore of Bay County and in Gulf County. The report did not name Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, or Walton counties. No fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported over the past week. Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was not reported over the past week. The daily sample map is updated daily at 5 p.m. A phone recording is at 866-300-9399. FWC red tide current status
The page’s key for background is 1,000 cells or less per liter, with “no effects anticipated.” This page does not turn that statewide key into a swimming clearance for Navarre.
Surf conditions change fast. If the surf line above is more than 12 hours old, check the National Weather Service rip current forecast before you swim.