Page 11 - Destin Snorkel Handbook

Harbor Tour

• The Destin Harbor was originally called the Old Pass Lagoon and the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico was at
the East end of the harbor
• Norriego point project started in Oct 2017. When completed it will feature 4 beach accesses, public restrooms,
picnic facilities, boardwalk, showers, drinking fountains and dune cross over
• Destin’s unique sand is the whitest and softest in the world. It is small quartz particles that have come down
from the Appalachian Mountains and the Apalachicola River and reside on our shore line. This along with clean
waters gives us our emerald green waters (it causes your feet to squeak when you walk on it)
• The Emerald Grande was nished being built in 2007 which brought in many restaurants and companies, before
it was just a small shing village with old docks and a few restaurants
• Destin harbor boardwalk stretches nearly a quarter mile and was completed in 2012
• Destin harbor has many restaurants, retail shops, bars, rock climbing wall, zip line, theater and It host many
events including Destin’s Fishing Rodeo and weekly events Fat Tuesday Parade, Fireworks and concert night
• Destin is called the luckiest shing village because it has the largest eet of shing charter vessels in the state
of Florida with over 150 vessels and it is only a 20-30 min boat ride to deep sea shing
• Many people travel here to sh and there is something for everyone, they have both private shing charters
(expensive option) as well as party boat shing charters (cheaper option). These charters include gear and
license and will llet your catch in which you can take it to one of many restaurants on the harbor in which
they will cook it for you
• Destin was one of the lming locations for the movie jaws 2. They lmed scenes in our bay as well as the old
docks that were here and the hold hogs breathe saloon

Crab Island

• Crab Island was once an actual island grass and bird life and once called by many locals “Bird Island”
• In 1974 Hurricane Eloise Came through and took the top o the island
• From the air the now underwater island looks like a crab so ttingly they named it Crab Island
• It is 2-3 feet deep around Crab Island allowing you to walk around
• It is now a favorite destination spot for both locals and tourists
• Can only be accessed by boat, Jet Ski, paddleboard, or kayak
• It has restaurants on the water such as seafood, burgers, tacos and carnival food as well as small boats selling
ice cream, pizza and boiled peanuts
• It is family oriented featuring water obstacle courses for the families
• Has a concert stage to enjoy free live band concerts