Something weird is happening in Choctawhatchee Bay

Photo by Del Stone Jr.

Something weird is happening in Choctawhatchee Bay.

It’s changing, in ways we may not like.

I base this hypothesis, first, on the anecdotal evidence of my own eyes.

You’re probably tired of hearing me say I’ve lived in Fort Walton Beach since 1964, but it’s true. I have. The first five years we lived inland, off Robinwood Drive. Then in 1969 we moved to Elliot Point, one street off Choctawhatchee Bay. That move instantly changed my life.

I became a water person.

Living near the water changes you. Over time you come to know every mood, every nuance, every topographical and hydrological detail of this body of water which, in my case, borders my little world on two sides. My first enduring memory of the bay is waking up the Saturday morning before Hurricane Camille struck Gulfport, Miss., and hearing waves pummel the shoreline of Choctawhatchee Bay.

We lived on this bay. I learned how to water ski on the flats by the old Vortac station on the island. Dad and I caught bluefish and speckled trout on the grass beds just west of Crab Island. We picnicked on Bird Island northwest of Destin. We hunted ducks in Santa Rosa Sound. We sailed in with the Bowlegs krewe, bombs and all. We watched fireworks from The Point.

For all the time I’ve lived next to Choctawhatchee Bay – that would be 57 years now – its waters were a tannic brown, stained by the trees that made up the watershed through which the rivers that filled the bay flowed. Right around the East Pass and Crab Island bay water gave way to Gulf of Mexico water, which was a gorgeous, jewel-like emerald in color. But farther inland, tea-colored, brackish water was the order of the day.

Over the past few years, however, that has changed.

Now, the water along the bay coastline in Fort Walton Beach, even into Cinco Bayou and Shalimar, is taking on the same emerald hue as water along our Gulf beaches. That can mean only one thing:

More Gulf water is coming into the bay. The question is, why?

I can think of three reasons:

1. Water flowing into the bay from rivers has been reduced by more development along the watershed.

2. Changes in rainfall patterns could reduce the volume of water flowing into the bay from rivers.

3. Rising sea levels.

I looked at the most recent water quality study of Choctawhatchee Bay by the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance. According to that report, salinity levels in the bay are increasing. That means more water from the gulf is entering the bay.

But I wanted to be sure, so I contacted the CBA on Facebook. I told them I’d noticed the color of the bay was changing and I asked them why that was happening. This is what they said:

“Hi! Yes, it is most likely attributed to rising sea levels, more king tides and higher tides, as well as a drier cycle over the last several years. Our data shows increasing salinity trends over the last ten years. We can surmise the reasons listed above, but we have no definitive study.”

If there hasn’t been a definitive study of this issue done before, there sure as hell needs to be one done now, because this would confirm sea level rise and climate change. It would also confirm why, for instance, water tables across the state of Florida are rising, and inland areas are starting to experience flooding. We need much more information about this subject because lives and property hang in the balance. Instead, the DeSantis administration here in Florida and the Trump administration at the federal level are either ignoring or suppressing these areas of inquiry.

I don’t need an expensive study to tell me Choctawhatchee Bay is changing. I can see it with my own eyes. The water is definitely different. In the future, meaning this summer, hurricanes could push water into areas that have never seen it.

Climate change deniers take heed – you’re rejecting the evidence of your own eyes. It’s happening, and whether you like it or not, you too will be affected.

Better to bail water as the boat is sinking, not after it has already sunk.

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .