the beach today
Emerald Coast Guide

Fort Walton
Beach

Emerald Waters

Okaloosa Island's emerald water without Destin's crowds — same sugar sand, better prices, the Gulfarium right on the beach.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, flags & emerald water

Parking Finder

Free island lots & city access

Sunset

Okaloosa Island gulf sunset

Dining

Seafood & tiki bars on the island

Things to Do

Dolphin tours & deep-sea fishing

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Okaloosa Island Beach

The main gulf beach · long open sand

Free lots · lifeguards

Beasley Park Beach

Pavilions, volleyball & full facilities

Free · restrooms

John Beasley Park

Popular family beach near the Gulfarium

Free parking

Fort Walton City Beach

City center beach access points

Street parking

Destin Beach (5 mi east)

HarborWalk, boardwalk and Crab Island

Destin bridge

Navarre Beach (12 mi west)

Long, quieter barrier island beach

Navarre Pier

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Destin

10 min east

HarborWalk, Crab Island and the emerald water scene

Navarre Beach

20 min west

Quieter island beach with Florida's longest pier

Scenic 30A

30 min east

Rosemary Beach, Seaside and the boutique beach towns

Pensacola

60 min west

Fort Pickens, Naval Aviation Museum and downtown

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Fort Walton Beach. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Fort Walton, the water is 87°F, surf is running 1–2 ft and the air is 78°F but feels like 86°F. Wind is 3 mph from the N and the UV index peaks at 8 (very high) today. Dogs are not allowed on this beach.