Miami | Broward | Palm Beach
Whether it be surfing, snorkeling or just lounging, before I head out to one of our many South Florida beaches, I always check out Surfline’s Beach Cameras to find the best spot for my day’s activities.
Below, I have listed South Florida’s available beach cameras for easy access:
Bookmark this page so you can always come back and find the right beach for your day’s adventures!
In South Florida, every week is shark week. In fact, Florida led the United States in shark bites for the year 2011. If you were attacked, would you be prepared to defend yourself in a deadly shark encounter?
There have been a total of 637 recorded shark attacks in Florida since 1882, with only 11 of them resulting in death, so don’t be too worried. Fortunately for South Floridians, most of these attacks (242 of them) took place in Volusia County, which is well north of Orlando. But Palm Beach County has the third highest attack rate (60), so don’t get too comfortable!
Should you find yourself about to become prey, try to remember these tips that might save your life:
Try not to let the shark sense your fear, but don’t play possum either. If you panic, you will become prey!
Remember, the shark can swim faster than you. That sort of eliminates the whole “Fight or Flight” aspect from this situation and forces you to defend yourself while submerged in water. Since most shark meals don’t ever fight back, even the slightest sign of resistance on your part can be enough to make the shark leave you alone. Chances are you will be unarmed, so make sure to aim for the nose/eyes/gills, avoid the teeth, and never lose sight of where your attacker is.
Don’t ever assume you are safe until you reach dry land. A shark may leave you alone temporarily just to sneak up on you from behind. As you swim back to shore, do your best to avoid splashing the water or acting erratically, since this will make you appear wounded and tempt the shark to continue its attack.
If you are wounded when you reach the shore, seek medical attention immediately. The wounds will only get worse with time and can cause other problems if left untreated. It is also important to keep remaining calm at this point since panicking will cause blood to pump faster throughout the body.
Some people, like surfers, are more prone to an attack than others. That doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t happen to you. In June 2012, a 6-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while playing in waist-deep water at the beach in Jupiter, Florida.
I promise, I’m not trying to scare you. I am just trying to keep you safe (by scaring you) so you can enjoy some fun in the Sun on more than one occasion.
Do you have any cool shark stories to share? Leave a comment!
The state wildlife commission is offering $1,000 for catching the longest snake in the Everglades, and $1,500 for catching the most. The event is to be called the 2013 Python Challenge.
The challenge will start on January 12 at UF’s Davie campus and move off to the wilderness after a daylong open house on pythons and other invasive species.
Competitors will be allowed to catch snakes at four state wildlife management areas: Francis S. Taylor, Big Cypress, Holey Land, and Rotenberger.
The competition is being sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Nature Conservancy, the Future of Huniting in Florida, Zoo Miami, and others. The prizes will be awarded Feb. 16 at Zoo Miami.
To learn more about the 2013 Python Challenge, check out PythonChallenge.org http://www.pythonchallenge.org/
Swimmer Diana Nyad, who turns 63 on Wednesday, cancelled her fourth attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West on Tuesday morning, citing storm squalls and jellyfish. Last year’s attempt was thwarted by ocean swells, shoulder pain, and asthma.
The swimmer’s representative Mark Sollinger reported that Nyad had been pushed off course by an “extremely difficult” Gulf Stream. She was just 50 miles short of success.
The last successful swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida was accomplished by Susie Maroney in 1997, who completed the attempt in 23 hour, 47 minutes and used a shark cage for safety, according to the Los Angeles Times in 2011.
Instead of using a shark cage for protection, Diana Nyad was followed by kayaks with underwater electrical shields that emitted a frequency intended to repulse sharks.
A Reuter’s report claims that this was likely Nyad’s final attempt.
Something tells me that after four attempts, this will not be the last one!
Let me start this article off by saying I’m a cat person. Always have been and always will, but a little puppy came into my life and has won a piece of my heart over. His name is Thunder and was adopted a few weeks ago by my boyfriend from the Humane Society of Broward County. He is a 4 month old black lab and is oh so sweet and playful. In these hot summer days, I’ve found fun ways to keep little Thunder cool. Check out my list of 5 ways to keep your doggy cool during summer or since we’re in south Florida, you can always refer to this list year-round!
1. Swimming pool
We took Thunder to his grandma’s house for his first swimming lesson. He enjoyed the water and already loves jumping in the air and into the pool. Unfortunately, we don’t have a pool but we got a little wading pool from Toys R Us for him to use on the days he can’t make it over to grandma’s house. He likes bringing his chew toy and eating frozen treats while hanging in the pool.
2. Hose
If you don’t have a pool or space for a kiddie pool, just a good ol’ hose attachment works great! We have a hose sprayer with six different functions so we can spray a soft mist or a stream for him to drink from. You can also set up a lawn sprinkler attachment that moves back and forth for doggy to run through.
3. Frozen treats and toys
Just the other day I froze a bunch of puppy-friendly veggies, treats and raw-hide strips in a Tupperware container. It helps to freeze the water with the treats and toys in layers so that it is evenly distributed. For even extra flavor, I read you can add a little bit of chicken stock to the water. Thunder went crazy for this treat and you can definitely freeze them in various sized containers depending on your size dog.
4. Fresh water
Something basic, yet very important is to have fresh water available, always. It is especially crucial in south Florida as dehydration is a serious issue for both humans and animals. I like throwing in a few ice cubes as well for extra refreshment. We have a high back water bowl and rubber mat so he can slurp away without too much clean up.
5. Stay indoors
If it’s too hot, just stay indoors! We have a long hallway so we play fetch with a tennis ball so Thunder can stretch his legs on those scorching afternoons. While indoors, he can focus well without distractions so we also take “indoor time” as an opportunity to teach him commands and tricks. After some fun, we like cooling off on the sofa and watching TV (or taking naps!).
We haven’t had a chance to take Thunder to a dog beach or dog park yet but those are definitely great places for your dog to cool off while soaking up the sun as well! What are some of your favorite South Florida parks or beaches that get two paws up from your pup?
http://www.humanebroward.com
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