Yes, this weekend the Outer Banks brought cold water temperatures, a few sea lice and thousands of red jellyfish.  However, by Saturday late afternoon the surf was up, there were fewer jellyfish and the water temps were simply balmy. After a brief swim I took a video of the jelly fish in question in Corolla.  This guy was swimming happily in a tidal pool created during high tide.  Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water! Outer Banks Jelly Fish from shootmenowblog on Vimeo....

What are those things biting you in the water in the Outer Banks?  They are tiny larvae known as megalops.  These little biting critters are in the final larval stage of crabs and are only a millimeter wide.  However, you aren’t feeling bites in your bathing suit, but the claws of the baby crabs instead! Today there were a few hours of slightly warmer water temperatures in the Outer Banks.  For weeks the Outer Banks water has fluctuated from somewhat warm to freezing due to a continued upwelling.  So having the opportunity for a brief but warmer swim caused great excitement for me and the kids. We ran to the water, shivered briefly and dove in.  Cold! ...

This year the water temperature in the Outer Banks seems to be as fickle as the wind.   From warm to cold, beach goers don’t know what to expect until they stick their toes in the water.  But why is the water temperature changing so much? Actually the wind has everything to do with it.  If the wind is blowing from the land to the ocean it is called an “offshore wind.”  This summer there seems to be more offshore wind than usual.  As the wind blows across the surface of the water, it carries the warm water out to sea.  When this happens the colder deep water replaces it, causing a cold OBX ocean or “upwelling.”  When there is an upwelling the water ...

Today I would like to acknowledge the excellent Outer Banks lifeguards that work diligently to keep everyone safe during their beach vacations. This weekend the OBX water was warm and beautiful.  And even better?  The waves were large, bringing out the surfers and body boarders.  With this surf came some expected churning, pulling and currents. I was on our Ocean Sands beach swimming with my nine year old daughter and her friend.  Near us was a watchful mother with several young children at the water’s edge.  One of the Currituck County lifeguards was driving his four wheeler down the beach and stopped to read the water in front of her. After sittin...