the beach today
Gulf Islands Guide

Perdido Key

The Forgotten Panhandle

Florida's quietest barrier island — Gulf Islands National Seashore, sugar-white quartz sand and none of the crowds.

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 & water temp

Parking Finder

National Seashore & state park lots

Sunset

Johnson Beach dunes sunset

Dining

Seafood & tiki bars on the key

Things to Do

Dolphin tours & sunset cruises

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Johnson Beach

National Seashore · pristine quartz sand

Fee area · $25/vehicle

Perdido Key State Park

Primitive state park beach

State park fee · quiet

Big Lagoon State Park

Lagoon-side beach, birding & kayaking

State park fee · manatees

Gulf State Park (AL)

Just west over the state line

Alabama · fee area

Perdido Key Dr. access

Informal beach access points

Limited parking

Old River beach

Calm water on the lagoon side

Kayak & paddle

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

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

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Pensacola Beach

30 min east

Casino Beach, Gulf Pier and Fort Pickens

Orange Beach AL

10 min west

Condos, marinas and the Wharf entertainment district

Gulf Shores AL

25 min west

Gulf State Park and a livelier beach scene

Downtown Pensacola

40 min east

Palafox Street, craft beer and the Naval Aviation Museum

see you on the sand

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

Right now at Perdido Key, the water is 74°F, surf is running 1–2 ft and the air is 62°F but feels like 56°F. Wind is 8 mph from the NE and the UV index peaks at 6 (high) today. Today’s tides: High 1:07 AM, Low 12:51 PM. Whether dogs are allowed here depends on which part of the beach you are on.