Utilizing Beach Cameras

Posted by Amanda Hicks

Updated on April 6th, 2018

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Published in Golf

Those who snorkel, dive, surf and fish know to go online and check conditions before heading to the water. You check the temperature, high tide times, swell height, visibility, etc. But aside from reading all the numbers, you can actually see the beach through cameras that are set up along the Martin and Palm Beach County coastlines. 

Here is the link to the Martin County beach cameras: click. You'll find a map with 5 cameras to zoom in on; Jensen Public Beach, the House of Refuge, Bathtub Beach, the St. Lucie Inlet and the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. 

The Palm Beach County cams are online here. Most of these are set up at the inlets so you can get a good look at live boat traffic too. Click on the Lake Worth Palm Beach Inlet cam for example, and decide if it looks a beach day on Singer Island, an offshore boating and fishing day, or a paddle boarding on the Intracoastal kind of day.

Aside from live online streaming, another public service both counties encourage all beach-goers to use are the Fire Department Ocean Rescue Information hotlines. You'll hear a daily updated recording about tide times, beach access, surf and weather forecasts:

Martin County: 772-320-3112

North PBC: 561-624-0065

South PBC: 561-629-8775

If you haven't yet utilized beach cams, try it before your next beach trip. They're helpful for a number of reasons including safety, beach choice, and even entertainment when you're bored at work. 

Some cool spots to check out on the cam (and in person) are Bathtub Reef Beach and the House of Refuge just down the road from each other in Martin County. Bathtub Beach has a large stretch of reef that forms a barrier around it, making the water flat and warm like bath water (hence the name). The ocean side of the reef attracts a lot of experienced divers because it has plentiful marine life including sea turtles, lobster, moray eels and manta rays. On beach side of the reef, new snorkelers can enjoy shallow and calm waters while observing an abundance of small reef fish and variety of reef rock. Read more here.

At the House of Refuge you can admire incredible Anestasia Limestone formations along the shoreline and crystal clear waters. The cam is mounted on the House of Refuge Museum, which used to be a home for lost sailors. The beach has a lot of interesting history which you can read more about here.