Texas Beaches (Galveston, Bolivar Peninsula, Mustang: safe, vacation, permit)

[Metro Matt]

I've always heard & read the brown water from the Gulf is a result of silt from the Mississippi flowing into the ocean. You can clearly see it happening from satellite imagery.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

I've always heard & read the brown water from the Gulf is a result of silt from the Mississippi flowing into the ocean. You can clearly see it happening from satellite imagery.

Same here. The water in texas gets better looking the farther you get from the Mississippi. There's a world of difference, for example, between Galveston and South Padre.

[gguerra]

Here is an explanation

The Coriolis effect causes water flowing from the Mississippi River to veer to the right, or westward, when it flows south into the Gulf of Mexico. The sediment carried by the river gives the water a brown color along the Gulf coast west of Louisiana, which does include Texas beaches. East of the Mississippi delta the water is not brown along the Gulf coast because the Coriolis drift causes the southbound water to turn westward.
The water is murky and brownish along Texas beaches as far southwest as Corpus Christi, where it begins to clear a little, and by the time it gets to S. Padre Island east of Brownsville (the southern tip of Texas) it is noticeably clearer, although not perfectly clear. But it is a natural phenomenon caused by the Earth's rotation, which produces the rightward drift in the Northern hemisphere; the phenomenon is called the Coriolis Effect and also gives us our wind circulation patterns in the atmosphere.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by gguerra

Here is an explanation

Thank you

[Zone13]

South Padre Island supports coconut palms, and a few manage to survive on North Padre. Oh, and the beaches are okay....better then Galveston .

[BrazosJaime]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

You are both right. See the diagram from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. Beach Debris | Wind and currents

And this one from LSU Coastal Studies. Physical Oceanography, Coastal Studies Institute, LSU

Thank You

[mquest123]

The further you get away from the Mississippi river the greenier the water gets. Port Aransas and south have the best beaches and water color.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by am2

I was wondering where are the best Texas beaches are and how do they compare to the Carolinas or Upper East coast (MD,NJ,NY)?

Thanks you guys!

My favorite beaches in Texas are around Port A and Mustang Island and Corpus but i dont think they would compare good with the east coast but thats justt a guess.

[NorthTexasGuy]

All Texas beaches are nice. If you like the sound of the ocean, a nice sea breeze and enjoying an ice cold beverage of your choice, any beach from Galveston to S. Padre will be wonderful. Most of the comments people have made on here are correct with the exception of one or two yahoos that make it sound like the Gulf is just a big lake.

Obviously no beaches here are like Cancun, Jamaica or even Destin, Fl, but they are nice. Want a nice get away, check out Galveston, it's a cool little town with plenty to do and nice ocean views. Rockport, South Padre, Corpus and other will tend to have a little more clear water and are great for weekend visits as well. Like any other beach, there will be times there's excessive sea weed and possible jelly fish, but otherwise, if you want to swim, tan, fish, bird watch or just relax, we got nearly 400 miles of coastline to enjoy. We also have a big cruise ship port in the event you want to go somewhere else in the Gulf to visit white sand beaches with turquoise waters. So keeping things in perspective, all Texas beaches are nice and thank God we got them.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

For prettiest beaches, Port Aransus area is the best in Texas.

For the best entertainment and seaside activities, Galveston Island has the best.

For the best mix of entertainment and decent looking beach, South Padre Island is your best bet.