# Tar balls on Pcola Beach



## ScullsMcNasty (Oct 4, 2007)

Still finding them out here.


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

Dont do what I did and pick up a "tar ball" only to find out it was some ones discarded dip....


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## amarcafina (Aug 24, 2008)

They will always be there, have been and always will be .


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## PompChaser315 (Feb 18, 2011)

JD7.62 said:


> Dont do what I did and pick up a "tar ball" only to find out it was some ones discarded dip....


I thought I found a huge one last summer, yeah it turned out being a piece of dog crap covered in sand :thumbdown:


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## FLbeachbum (Jul 17, 2008)

Lots of wave action lately. Tar balls have been washing up on these beaches for many many years.


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## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

FUPAGUNT said:


> I thought I found a huge one last summer, yeah it turned out being a piece of dog crap covered in sand :thumbdown:


Makes me think and laugh about how many times we have had to do an emergency hang over the side of the boat.


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## ScullsMcNasty (Oct 4, 2007)

FLbeachbum said:


> Lots of wave action lately. Tar balls have been washing up on these beaches for many many years.


i agree with you. ive always seen a random tarball here and there every now and then but yesterday there were a BUNCH of tarballs. everywhere there was seashells washed up, there was tarballs scattered threw them. just makes me sad


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## jmunoz (Jan 11, 2012)

i still work on the spill theres only about 65 people in the whole florida division and there is still oil recovered every day not lots but its still there every once in a while they find mats like a couple weeks ago a team found a mat that was like 500 pounds


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## DTFuqua (Jan 30, 2012)

And for y'alls information, tar balls have NOT always been there. These were near pristine beaches when I was a younger man chasing all the girls on the beach.


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## FLbeachbum (Jul 17, 2008)

DTFuqua said:


> And for y'alls information, tar balls have NOT always been there. These were near pristine beaches when I was a younger man chasing all the girls on the beach.



Im 45 and lived here all my life. My father had a beach house from about 1970-1985. We always had a bottle of something on the porch to clean the occasional tar ball off our feet before entering the house. I am not saying that we dont still have an oil problem. In fact I'm pretty sure there is still a bunch of it out there, but natural seepage of oil has always been a feature of the Gulf of Mexico.


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## Too Tall 2 (Aug 26, 2009)

I remember fishing with my Dad back in the 70's and having to clean tar from our feet. Agree, always been here and always will be.


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## DTFuqua (Jan 30, 2012)

Well I have a few years on you and way back when for me, I spent every day at the beach I could during summer and never had tar on my feet or anywhere else for that matter


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## tjwareusmc (Jul 10, 2008)

I grew up (more recently than the two above me) in Texas and the beaches there are known for getting you all covered in tar and junk. I'm surprised to hear you guys say that it's always been like that here as well. Of course it must be rare here anyway because I dont recall seeing anything like that from 2008 until 2010 and I have not noticed any since we have been down here the past few months.


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## whitetailwarrior (May 10, 2008)

though you may of had the occasional tar ball it is nothing like we have still to this day from the horizon, plus now you have the cops patroling the beach and getting onto my kid for diggin a hole in the sand to build a castle, tells me they really dont want you to find what we all know is still there hiddin. i was on the clean up and know what we were told not to do and that was to dig up the mats under the sand, no matter what any body says or thinks our beaches are not the same  bp


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

whitetailwarrior said:


> though you may of had the occasional tar ball it is nothing like we have still to this day from the horizon, plus now you have the cops patroling the beach and getting onto my kid for diggin a hole in the sand to build a castle, tells me they really dont want you to find what we all know is still there hiddin. i was on the clean up and know what we were told not to do and that was to dig up the mats under the sand, no matter what any body says or thinks our beaches are not the same  bp



Heres the only problem I have with what you posted, not you per sa but the whole thing in generally. 

If they were gonna dump 3 feet of sand over the OIL, why didn't they just come in there and use one of them big yellow machines that scrapes the layers of dirt off the road before they lay the road then put the NEW SAND down. 

It sounds like a "They didn't go to the moon" conspiracy to me. I'm sure some was done in haste but I really don't think it was to the extent folks want to make it out to be. 

Yes, they still have the crews for OIL CLEAN UP over here in La. I see them EVERYTIME I go out the jetties. Problem is they are NEVER working. They are there for PR reasons, not for clean up.


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## chicon monster (Mar 7, 2012)

i was at the beach a year ago and they had a 2 foot deep trench in the sand with a bunch of people around. it looked like the opposite of an oreo, there was a ton of oil under the sand. in the back of pensacola bay at sanders beach there is a decent amount of big tar balls.


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

It's hard to believe they dumped 3 feet of sand on something like this. It may have happened but somehow my mind tells me not to buy it.


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## chicon monster (Mar 7, 2012)

Deeplines said:


> It's hard to believe they dumped 3 feet of sand on something like this. It may have happened but somehow my mind tells me not to buy it.


That is alot worse than here's in Pensacola. There was a decent amount but not that much


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

chicon monster said:


> That is alot worse than here's in Pensacola. There was a decent amount but not that much



Funny, the website I got it from said this was in Florida. I guess another media twist.


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## chicon monster (Mar 7, 2012)

Deeplines said:


> It's hard to believe they dumped 3 feet of sand on something like this. It may have happened but somehow my mind tells me not to buy it.





Deeplines said:


> Funny, the website I got it from said this was in Florida. I guess another media twist.


I haven't seen anything that bad here. Im not sure about.other parts of Florida though.


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## Razzorduck (Oct 22, 2007)

Deeplines said:


> Funny, the website I got it from said this was in Florida. I guess another media twist.


It NEVER looked like that picture in Florida. Maybe on the outer areas of La. And yes I remember scattered, occational tarballs on the beaches in Panama City back in the 60's. Oil has been seeping out of the gulf seabed for oh about 100 million years. Estimated at 50 million barrels a year.


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## jmunoz (Jan 11, 2012)

Y'all also haft to think right after the spill they had crews out 24 hours it was pretty bad here a lot of it nobody ever seen except the ones out there cleaning it. If I'm not mastiking there was about 15,000 people on the response in just florida this time last year and there is only about 60 now and I'm one of them i have talked to divers they had goin down in the pass where it drops off I guess and they told me some horriffic stuff so keep in mind there a lot that the general puplic or local media never seen ill give y'all an ex inbetween about Sept through December of 2010 I worked right on the base beach where you can look straight through the pass to the gulf there was 10 crews 9techs and 1foreman on each team and everybody put on waders and dig we couldn't go no deeper than knee deep and I think we was averaging 3,000to5,000 pounds everyday


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

jmunoz, I will not doubt what you say. I am curious though how the oil got there. I never saw that kind of oil on the beaches on base or on sand island. How did it get 2' under the sand on top. I don't recall them dumping sand around base or on sand island. 

Again, I AM NOT DOUBTING WHAT YOU SAW. I just can't figure out how it got there and it was never on top of the sand to sink down. Do you see where I'm coming from? Same as with all this oil in the pass. Heck, we have tons of divers on the fourm and I can't recall any of them coming up with buckets of tar or oil on any of there dives. 

The company I work for has boats that goes out with scientist and such on them also. Nothing they can find. They work from the well site all the way to the keys on these boats looking for the oil. Seems like the AB told me the most they found was about 1" and that was about 40 miles from the site of the spill, the rest just wasn't there.


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## Surf Bunny (May 4, 2009)




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## Surf Bunny (May 4, 2009)

Tar balls from Navarre Beach:

2012 04 07
















2012 03 27


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## Surf Bunny (May 4, 2009)

And how the Pensacola Beach Oil got covered with Sand:


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## Surf Bunny (May 4, 2009)

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/03/auburn_researcher_finds_danger.html


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

Dang surf bunny, that's a lot off tar balls in the pics you posted. You mean the just covered them up? Why didn't they have some of those 15,000 workers pick that up before they put the sand over it?

By the way, that's p'cola beach in the pix and not the navy base beaches isn't it?

Don't believe anyone is saying eating tar balls is good for you or petroleum products in general. Just that the stuff is a natural occurrence.

No doubt stuff washed up on our beaches, I just don't think they dumped sand on top of stuff that looks like a highway before the gravel goes down. That is what folks seems to suggest about this digging 2 feet down.

I can tell you from experience, you can't dig on sand island or the base at all. Even before the spill, it's a historic land mark and they will boot your butt of base quick. Been there done that with a metal detector.


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## chicon monster (Mar 7, 2012)

They probably just wanted to get it covered for the tourists season so they could get revenue or because bp sucks and they tried to make it right by making a worse problem


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

The tourist thing came to mind but figured they wouldn't allow that to happen. Everyone screaming at the top of there heads and then all of a sudden....., yea just cover it up.


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## danieljames84 (May 28, 2009)

kenton said:


> makes me think and laugh about how many times we have had to do an emergency hang over the side of the boat.


lmao


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## Crab Man (Oct 21, 2011)

Deeplines said:


> Heres the only problem I have with what you posted, not you per sa but the whole thing in generally.
> 
> If they were gonna dump 3 feet of sand over the OIL, why didn't they just come in there and use one of them big yellow machines that scrapes the layers of dirt off the road before they lay the road then put the NEW SAND down.
> 
> ...


 
The oil was burried by natural tidal and wave action. Since it washes up directly on the shoreline, it was deposited in an area and then if not cleaned up more and more sand is deposited on top. I can go dig you some fresh sticky oil right now and denying it is there or from the DWH spill is downright laughable.

And everyone saying we have natural seepage are full of it. All of the tarballs in the 70's where from oil rigs, back in the day when they could have a huge blowout and no one say anything or care. Just ask some of the guys that use to shrimp in the gulf in the 70's. It wasn't uncommon to bog the nets down in tar over to the west. If there is so much natural seepage than why where we tar ball free for the last 20 years? And Why aren't south florida beaches covered with these naturally occuring tar balls?


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## whitetailwarrior (May 10, 2008)

exactly im not saying it was purposely covered up , wind blown sand and surf was doing the covering and not a thing we could do about it. there was times that when foreman was not watching me and a few from my crew would hit a small mat of tar and go ahead and uncover it sometimes would be only a foot wide but would stretch out 5 to 10 feet long.all i was aying is that if it was covered up by the wind or surf we workers out there was told not to dig by our bosses, and i personally heard numerous times dont dig just get what you can see or what the locals or tourists on the beach will see


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## Diesel (Jan 9, 2008)

Crab Man said:


> The oil was burried by natural tidal and wave action. Since it washes up directly on the shoreline, it was deposited in an area and then if not cleaned up more and more sand is deposited on top. I can go dig you some fresh sticky oil right now and denying it is there or from the DWH spill is downright laughable.
> 
> And everyone saying we have natural seepage are full of it. All of the tarballs in the 70's where from oil rigs, back in the day when they could have a huge blowout and no one say anything or care. Just ask some of the guys that use to shrimp in the gulf in the 70's. It wasn't uncommon to bog the nets down in tar over to the west. If there is so much natural seepage than why where we tar ball free for the last 20 years? And Why aren't south florida beaches covered with these naturally occuring tar balls?



Stating that there were no tarballs before oil rigs is laughable, saying that there are no natural expulsions is laughable. You stating that you are more of an expert than Woods Hole or any great number of people out on the spill site, and all over the Gulf surveying the bottom is pretty much laughable. :thumbsup: I don't report anything I haven't seen with my own eyes, and for a fact the Gulf has natural expulsions, and reports like this will keep tourists from ever coming back.


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## Crab Man (Oct 21, 2011)

Diesel said:


> Stating that there were no tarballs before oil rigs is laughable, saying that there are no natural expulsions is laughable. You stating that you are more of an expert than Woods Hole or any great number of people out on the spill site, and all over the Gulf surveying the bottom is pretty much laughable. :thumbsup: I don't report anything I haven't seen with my own eyes, and for a fact the Gulf has natural expulsions, and reports like this will keep tourists from ever coming back.


I never saw a tar ball before the spill and I've lived here all my life. Been commercial fishin the gulf with my pops since I was about 5.

Honestly I don't give a flying dog turd if another tourist ever comes to florida. We got to many damn yankees down here as it is.


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## KINGFISHER4 (Sep 6, 2010)

We have yet to have a storm of any size sence the spill. We'll see.....


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## Diesel (Jan 9, 2008)

Crab Man said:


> I never saw a tar ball before the spill and I've lived here all my life. Been commercial fishin the gulf with my pops since I was about 5.
> 
> Honestly I don't give a flying dog turd if another tourist ever comes to florida. We got to many damn yankees down here as it is.


Well...I've lived here all my life as well and I saw tarballs all through my youth. Especially at Pickens and Dauphin Island. Maybe you weren't looking for them, but there is no question the spill made it worse. My point is that with time and mitigation it will dissipate.

As far as tourism goes, I have felt your sentiments before. As a native Floridian whose father's, father's, father's etc. back prior to the Revolutionary War were from Florida, my practical side must take over, as it must with regards to the spill. Frankly, without tourism Florida would be nothing. If you are not in the military or service (tourism) industry you cannot make a living in Pensacola.


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## FLbeachbum (Jul 17, 2008)

" If you are not in the military or service (tourism) industry you cannot make a living in Pensacola."

I beg to differ.


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## Gump (Oct 4, 2007)

I wonder how many ADT customers are military or relying on tourism for income?


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## Crab Man (Oct 21, 2011)

The vast majority of the seafood I sell is sold to locals, and most of them aren't military (although I'm glad to provide them with it).


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## Diesel (Jan 9, 2008)

Crab Man said:


> The vast majority of the seafood I sell is sold to locals, and most of them aren't military (although I'm glad to provide them with it).


Not everyone is Military, but the vast majority are servicing them or the tourists. If there were no tourism and no military, the only jobs in town would be International Paper. Without them this town would die. Nothing is produced in Pensacola, without production you have no viable economy, all of the money generated in this town comes from out of the area.

I would be interested to know how many upper middle or even low end jobs are available in Pensacola that are not Service (ie. food service, real estate, retail, auto service, entertainment, bars, pawn shops, tattoo parlors, etc.) or Military & local government related. 

We haven't even begun to explore the issue of retirees both military and otherwise that bring a lot of money to the area. Point being that this area is almost wholly dependent on having a positive image. A place where people would want to visit and or relocate to, and any unfounded or over-inflated negative press has an impact on us all whether or not you believe it.


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## wtbfishin (Dec 2, 2011)

well said Diesel! I have lived in Walton Co for over 30 years, I remember tar balls on our beaches many years back and then they had seem to have vanished at some point in time, or I did not go down as much. We do have a few now, w/small BP crews and dip nets picking them up.
I did like our small community as it was back then, but everything changes, and we do need tourism.


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## trophy (Jul 28, 2012)

FUPAGUNT said:


> I thought I found a huge one last summer, yeah it turned out being a piece of dog crap covered in sand :thumbdown:


LMFAO, I did the same damm thing this past winter. But in reality, the less traces I can find of BP, the better.


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