mtnhigh

Hi all
I will be making a trip down to PINS from July1-7 with my wife and kids (12,8,2) and from what I have read seaweed is a real problem. I hear that there is tons of the stuff, piles and piles of it. Is that correct? I will be camping at Malaquite beach. Can anyone recommend another camp site if this one is not good. How does the other parks in the area compare when it comes to seaweed? Any advice would be great. Also I'm looking to go crabbing on the jetties? ANyone have any experience crabbing on padre island? If so any advice is very much apreciated.

Thanks in advance
Mtnhigh in Colorado way high 10000ft high

copuswalker

I'll be renting a house in Galveston that week so we will have to compare notes!

I have been to Padre many times and have yet to have a seaweed problem. I have encountered it at Galveston but it seems to be a random thing?
I would think it would be hit or miss. I know the smell and/or water is not as appealing when you have things scraping you in the water.
Perhaps the Chamber would be able to help you as the time got closer. Or find a beach based business?
Of course there is always Schlitterban

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Shannon

Use some of your free minutes on your cell phone to call the Ranger Station at Padre Island National Seashore. They have a special phone number for "Daily Weather / Beach Conditions"; it's (361)949-8175.

Seaweed, Portuguese Man-o-War and tar all seem to be seasonal. Thankfully, we've only encountered the Man-o-War jellies washed up on the beach once in 7+ years of visiting annually at different seasons. Tar is also fairly rare. Of the three, seaweed is the most common, though I've only seen it really bad once (it was deep enough I imagined someone not paying attention could lose a small child in it. )

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smayben

Question...I will be camping alone in the Port Aransas area, Mustang Island or Malaquite Beach. Since I am a woman camping alone, is one beach any "safer" than another? Any other tips about beach camping would be appreciated.

4runner

The beach at PINS should be nice right now. A friend recently went there and he said the beach was clean. I just got back fron Galveston Island SP and the beach was clean. The storm surge from the last hurricane that hit Florida removed all the seaweed from the beaches.

Shannon

I'm one of those odd ducks that feels safer the less strangers I have around me, so the more remote a park the safer I feel. That's not to say I've ever solo'd in Big Bend National Park or somewhere equally, truly remote, but I generally feel like the most dangerous thing out in the "wild" are other people and the less of them I'm dealing with daily on the trail, the better. That doesn't count for travelling companions or others who clearly are out on the trail for the same or similar reasons I am. Also, the further I am away from roads, trailheads and the like the safer I feel. I figure someone's a lot less likely to hike 6-12 miles just to harass or hurt me than they are to pull up and do so if I'm camped in a pull-in campsite near a trailhead or such. The deeper you get into a park/recreation area, the more you're only likely to meet kindred spirits -- other folks out to enjoy nature, get some exercise and detatch from the rat race for a little while.

However, there is something to be said for "more eyes" alert to potentially dangerous/odd situations, so you may wish to stay closer to "civilization", such as the developed campground at PINS versus the 4x4-only accessible portion of the beach, for example. It's just a personal choice, really. And if you can get a girlfriend to come along, that would alleviate the inherent dangers/risks of going solo (eg. in case someone had a medical emergency, there's someone who can go back for help).

I don't camp solo a lot, though I was starting to get into it before work and then a knee injury and now surgery curtailed my activities a bit. When I went solo, I carried a cellphone for areas where there was coverage (spotty, at best -- mostly used in case I had car trouble and to check in when I could to let folks know I was at camp, or if my plans had changed.). I relied heavily on my common sense and situational awareness, noting people I passed and my route of travel. Good rules of thumb regardless of if you're travelling alone in a remote area or travelling with friends or family on a typical vacation.

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