Hurricane Isaac Bypasses Pensacola Beach

Pensacola Beach on 8/28/12.

I went to Pensacola Beach earlier this afternoon to take photos of Hurricane Isaac as it bypassed our beach. I drove over the one mile bridge in pounding rain and gale force winds. The gusts were so strong it felt like my Jeep would be blown over the side. Definitely a breath-taking moment.

 As I pulled into the parking lot on the main beach, the rain stopped abruptly and the sun broke through the clouds. What an awesome sight!




Watching as Hurricane Isaac bypasses Pensacola Beach.

To the east the beach was nearly deserted except for a few hardy souls at the edge of the surf. The clouds in that direction were dark and mean looking. A sure sign that Hurricane Isaac was out there somewhere.

Some gusts of wind were almost strong enough to knock you off your feet. A couple times I came close to losing my balance.





A weather news crew reporting on Isaac.

To the west, facing the pier, a news crew filmed while the sun temporarily broke through the clouds.


I walked along the beach picking up treasures, colorful plastic sand shovels and molds for building sandcastles. I had an armload of the abandoned sand toys in no time. It seemed odd that children had left them on the beach, half-buried in the sand, waiting for me to pick them up.

Waves breaking over the end of the pier.

The waves were huge by Pensacola Beach standards, with some actually breaking over the end of the pier. I snapped several photos, hoping I would get a few good ones.



Churning surf under the pier.

I walked under the pier and watched in awe as waves broke underneath. I would have stayed there longer, but I was getting pelted with stinging wet sand. I said something to a person standing nearby and ended up with gritty sand in my teeth.

Awesome waves at the west end of Pensacola Beach.

I got back into my Jeep and drove to the west end of the beach where the churning surf had practically swallowed up all the sand. It was an awesome sight watching the huge breaking waves where the water is normally almost flat as a pancake.

My hair and glasses were soon coated with salt spray. I'd witnessed the might of Hurricane Isaac and was thankful the full force of the storm had decided to bypass Pensacola Beach.