Bathtub Reef Beach suffered erosion as a result of this week’s king tides.
"It’s amazing to see what water and mother nature can do in a short period of time,” said Don Myers, who is visiting the area from Pennsylvania.
Martin County is looking at trucking in sand next week, so the beach is protected in case there’s another storm this hurricane season, Martin County Coastal Engineer Kathy Fitzpatrick said.
“It’ll be a lot of work to repair I’m sure, but I’ve seen it before and they fix it up,” Myers said.
The county has a renourishment project planned for mid- to late November.
“If you don’t keep after it, it’s going to wash away,” said John Lozier, who lives in Stuart.
Red flags flew on lifeguard stands at Bathtub Reef Beach Friday. Most people stayed on shore watching the choppy surf.
“I enjoy this because every day in Florida is blue skies and sunshine,” Lozier said. “So when you have overcast and rough water, this is interesting.”
People who had looked forward to snorkeling Friday weren’t able to due to the conditions.
“It’s a little scary,” said Alice Messer, who is visiting from Indiana. “I’m ok getting in maybe waist high, but further than that, no.”
Brad Beckett, ocean rescue chief for Martin County Fire Rescue, said the surf reached almost 11 feet a couple of days ago, but it’s starting to subside now. He expects it to get calmer throughout the weekend, but the lifeguards will still likely fly red flags to warn swimmers of the potential for dangerous conditions.
