Carrabelle Beach

Carrabelle, Florida

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Carrabelle entices visitors with its “Old Florida” atmosphere in the Big Bend region. Uncrowded beaches can be found in this area where three rivers converge at the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing is a popular activity for this “Gateway to the Gulf.” River marshes and coastal shores provide birding and wildlife viewing opportunities. The public beaches’ white sands welcomes those seeking surf fishing, snorkeling, beachcombing, swimming, sunbathing or just passing leisure time. Onsite amenities include restrooms and covered picnic areas. Fishing regulations/licenses may apply. No lifeguards are on duty. Photo Courtesy of Will Noble.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on June 28th, 2022. The Swim Guide - Florida updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on June 29th, 2022 at 9:34 AM.

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Current Weather

31°C

Mostly clear

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Franklin County beaches are monitored by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program. Monitoring results are collected bi-weekly on Monday and results are posted to the Florida Healthy beaches website on Thursday or Friday. Samples are collected year round at some of Florida's beaches, however Franklin County's monitoring season is from March to November. Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday during the peak swimming season.

The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are:

Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water;
Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and;
Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.

On Swim Guide a beach is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the SSM test results show Enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml.
Swim Guide marks a beach Red when it has a Poor standing. This means the SSM test results show Enterococci counts exceeds the BAV of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality at the beach.
A beach is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria.

Water Quality Graph