Who likes Sargassum?

Since we go to the beach a lot, we see it all. Some days the water is so clear you could swear it was drinkable, some days such a beautiful shade of turquoise it takes your breath away. I still am in awe of the wonder of it. But, occasionally, it is not so good for swimming. The last few days we have had lots of Sargassum on the shore. I've lived all over Florida. I'm a Florida native born in Miami and I can remember wading in Sargassum as a child. We called it seaweed in south Florida and you could grab a handful and see it was filled with marine life so we were fine with it. I guess when you live at the beach you understand that it isn't always perfect for humans. It is after all, a wilderness area. Here on the beaches of South Walton, we get impatient with anything other than picture perfect but if you wait a day, or move to another access, you can very often get away from it. And if you can't, and sometimes you can't, may I suggest you just watch it for awhile. Easy for me to say since I live here and can be very choosy about my beach days but you can't change what nature gives you on any given day so why not give in. This may sound Pollyanna but there are many gifts of the sea. Shorebirds, dolphin shows, feeding frenzies, Pelicans, Skimmers, schools of Stingray's and of course sand crabs can provide a great deal of entertainment. Anyhow, back to seaweed, if you sit quietly and watch the water, sometimes you will see little flashes of silver splashing in the grasses, evidence of the rich life all around you, tiny as it might be. 

And sometimes you will see a fish catcher hard at work taking advantage of a bountiful situation.