We have reservations at Southbay Aug. 6. We have received conflicting information. I've read that the beaches and water are dirty, and that there is hardly any beach left. Southbay's website says the beaches are beautiful. Somebody please help! Does anyone know how long it usually takes for the water to clear up? What about the sand? Thanks!

I'm not sure exactly where your hotel/condo is located, but, by August 6, the water should be back to normal. The sand will be free of debris, but... not EXACTLY sure about coloration. Lots of the seaweed that was stirred up will be left on the beach to help with the reclamation of the beach... as the waves wash over the seaweed, sand will be deposited, and the beaches will begin to rebuild themselves. SO... I THINK you will have pretty beaches by the time you get here. I've lived in PC for 51 years, and been through lots of storms and hurricanes. The beaches are resilient and come back fast. The water fluctuates naturally and clears itself quickly.

Hope that helps! I know all the Tourism Officials and Resorts are working together to get things back to normal as quickly as possible... it's the height of the tourist season, and believe me, if it's humanly possible, it will get done!

If I were you, I'd plan on coming to the beach. Check back in a week, and we'll let you know what's up.

Thanks, Toni. Southbay is located between Gulf Shore Drive and Big Kahuna's, on the Gulf side. We had two vacations planned this summer, the first to Jetty East the week that Dennis hit that had to be scrapped, and we aren't looking forward to making any other changes. Right now, we're trying to decide whether to go to Orange Beach and knock 2 hours off our drive time, since the water and beach conditions in Destin may not be that different than in Orange Beach. I'll check back later in the week.