Gulf..... waves? (Tampa: beach, deal, required)

[pathrunner]

Please forgive this California girl's naivete. I went to the Gulf Islands National Seashore last weekend, specifically the dog beach there. I was shocked at how high and forceful the waves were. There are major riptides there, so much so that it is required to keep your dog on leash. No kidding. No way would I let my dogs play in those waves.

Southern California riptides are nothing compared to what I saw. It was rough out there. They were numerous and very visible. California riptides are much more surreptitious. That's why so many people get caught in them.

I've always thought that the Gulf of Mexico was pretty mild when it comes to waves. I know it's still winter, but there wasn't a storm when I was there. What is the usual deal with waves in the Gulf and does it vary from place to place? Like, if I went down to Tampa (where they have some good dog beaches) or somewhere else, would the waves be calmer?

[slduvall]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Please forgive this California girl's naivete. I went to the Gulf Islands National Seashore last weekend, specifically the dog beach there. I was shocked at how high and forceful the waves were. There are major riptides there, so much so that it is required to keep your dog on leash. No kidding. No way would I let my dogs play in those waves.

Southern California riptides are nothing compared to what I saw. It was rough out there. They were numerous and very visible. California riptides are much more surreptitious. That's why so many people get caught in them.

I've always thought that the Gulf of Mexico was pretty mild when it comes to waves. I know it's still winter, but there wasn't a storm when I was there. What is the usual deal with waves in the Gulf and does it vary from place to place? Like, if I went down to Tampa (where they have some good dog beaches) or somewhere else, would the waves be calmer?

Some days are rough, some days are flat...waves never get really big, as in consistently big enough to surf like California, but rip tides can be rough. Winter can be rough, but it does vary along the coast.

[gatorlyn]

Winter systems (cold fronts) and tropical systems (trop. storms or hurricanes) can rough up gulf beaches and it will have rip currents.

Usually if the weather is not impacted by the above, then it's calm

[beachmouse]

The Gulf is small and shallow enough that a bad storm near Cancun can cause waves in Florida. And repeated tropical systems can reshape the nearshore topography so the peaks and valleys in underwater sand will help create conditions that are more favorable for rip current development. The long timers will say that rip currents used to be a lot milder before Hurricane Opal changed the local near shore sea conditions