Sanibel Family Friday

My visiting family slept in this morning and then went browsing though some island stores for a while. This afternoon they spent enjoying the beach off West Gulf Drive around access 7. They enjoyed a picnic lunch sitting in beach chairs under the umbrella. It wasn't too windy today and a pleasant 82 degrees. They played some paddle ball and found some keeper shells.









Since we left the beach late, our dinner was a little late too. We went to the Sanibel Grill around 9:00. The vacationers then had to call it a night. They wanted to get to bed a little earlier tonight because they have reservations for parasailing tomorrow at Captiva.



It's kind of hard to see it in the video, but there was quite a drop off from beach erosion. It ran from quite a way east of the Blue Dolphin Cottages to the west of it. Right in front of where my family is, it drops down as much as 2 or 3 feet.



Ever wonder why sometimes there is foam and sometimes there isn't? Well I have, and from all I've read (which not being a physicist, is well over my head) it has something to do with how energy is transferred from wind to waves. If I understand it correctly; when the wind becomes to strong for the surface to handle, it needs a larger area to carry the energy and the way it does that is to break into a spray of water droplets. So, as a wave starts to form, the motion of the water causes bubbles to swirl upward and collect together, and they become foam. During most normal rough seas, the white caps are spotty, but during a hurricane the entire surface might be covered with foam.

I've also read that foam is created by impurities in the sea water, such as salts, protiens and fat from decomposed fish and plants, etc. After all of that has been churned up by the water currents it makes bubbles as it is carried toward the shore. Whatever the cause, I only remember seeing it when it's windy and I love watching it. :-)