How does South Padre beach compare to Port A's (Miami: area, summer)

[cBach]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Yup, sure have. I tend to do that - go a year without one and then multiple another year.

Got some pretty awesome sunset and beach pictures. And I did the gokart racing at Gravity Park as well....that was fun but pricey as hell.

Liked Schlitterbahn, even if it was overpriced for a scaled down park. Got "butt burn" from the water coasters...constant banks and conveyors can hurt the bum after awhile.

I have the dubious honor of being the only person in our family who was sunburned... maybe I should have worn a full coverage suit.... my nose got burned too. Right now i'm in "itch phase"...ugh...

I liked Schlitterbahn too. I heard they expanded it since I was last there, is there a tunnel from the outdoor portion to the indoor portion now?

[alwaysmiling]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Just returned from SPI. Beautiful beach in its own right. It may not be in the same league as the Caribbean or other locales abroad but it's still beautiful and more importantly, close. I was at Bowie, Beach Access #5, thankfully NO vehicles. Ugh...the side where the vehicles were was dirtier, more crowded, and I'd have to make sure my kids don't get hit by the horde of vehicles constantly driving down the beach. If it isn't beachgoers, then it's the ice cream truck and floatie/toy truck...

I really really like South Texas, particularly SPI/Port Isabel/Coastal bend. Texas is such a big, awesome state IMHO, each section having a distinct culture. With East Texas, it's Cajun/LA...South Texas, it's Tex-Mex. Valley people are pretty chill and there's Texas friendly..though of course there are your share of Beavis and Buttheads. Haven't visited West Texas yet, but it's on my bucket list. I'm thinking that if we could swing it, I'd like to buy a place in the Coastal Bend/Port Isabel/SPI and go there every year.

ETA - the sand was pretty sugar like, very fine. Shell collecting was great. Water was two shades of blue from the distance, but a clear brown on the beach. Bay was murky. Like that the bay was shallow though. Tried our hand at fishing from the pier and Leviathon made off with our prime piece of squid AND the line/hook. Saw bottlenose dolphins and an alligator (in the wild) at the birding center. LOL I can see why people feed wildlife..that gator waited for a long time looking up at us with this expression of expectation - Are you gonna toss something down here or what?

Got some FABULOUS pictures of the causeway, bay, beach....beautiful beautiful pictures. Can't comment about Port A, but I really like the flavor/soul of SPI. It's Valley for sure with a little bit of other things thrown in.

We're in the midst of acquiring some island RE on SPI. After returning from the Gulf of Thailand and having seen many a beach world-wide, we realize that SPI is an amazing place so close to home. With the waterpark (which the emerald coast doesn't have), the clean beach, amazing resort pools, warm swim-able ocean, decent restaurants, and price per sq-ft half that of Austin prices, it is an easy decision to go ahead and grab a spot down there.

They are in the process of making it a cruise ship port of call, with interest from 4 major cruise lines, which could be a major catalyst for the tourist driven economy.

Driving across the bridge to the island reminds me of driving through the keys. Walking along Gulf Blvd reminds me of a California beach town experience. The water is a beautiful shade of blue and the beach is really nice, with waves that are enjoyable for children and adults alike. There are zero oil rigs in view and its really only about an hour further than Port A...



if that image didnt come thru which it probably didnt check out this page for a beautiful pic of SPI...

https://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...it-plan-2.html

[Snowpacked]

Originally Posted by cBach

I liked Schlitterbahn too. I heard they expanded it since I was last there, is there a tunnel from the outdoor portion to the indoor portion now?

I thought that thing went bankrupt down there?

[alwaysmiling]

Originally Posted by Snowpacked

I thought that thing went bankrupt down there?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that is the North Padre location, not SP.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by alwaysmiling

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that is the North Padre location, not SP.

Yeah it's the one near Corpus that went under I thought.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by alwaysmiling

We're in the midst of acquiring some island RE on SPI. After returning from the Gulf of Thailand and having seen many a beach world-wide, we realize that SPI is an amazing place so close to home. With the waterpark (which the emerald coast doesn't have), the clean beach, amazing resort pools, warm swim-able ocean, decent restaurants, and price per sq-ft half that of Austin prices, it is an easy decision to go ahead and grab a spot down there.

They are in the process of making it a cruise ship port of call, with interest from 4 major cruise lines, which could be a major catalyst for the tourist driven economy.

Driving across the bridge to the island reminds me of driving through the keys. Walking along Gulf Blvd reminds me of a California beach town experience. The water is a beautiful shade of blue and the beach is really nice, with waves that are enjoyable for children and adults alike. There are zero oil rigs in view and its really only about an hour further than Port A...



if that image didnt come thru which it probably didnt check out this page for a beautiful pic of SPI...

https://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...it-plan-2.html

I've thought of getting a land plot down there but I hate going through the border checkpoint midway between Brownsville and Corpus Christi.

I'm thinking Port A may be the best place to invest in a beach house.

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by Texyn

Nope, both SPI and Destin have similar water clarity. As I've said before, the whiter sand at Destin tricks you into perceiving the water as clearer. You also have to make sure that you are controlling for ambient conditions during a comparison: a windy day at SPI versus a calm day at Destin does not an accurate comparison make.

Actually, Destin would be less consistent than SPI year-round in maintaining great water clarity. Large rains are more of an issue for Destin's climate compared to SPI's. Oh, and two words:
june grass.

Ever scuba dive? I can tell for a fact, as a diver, that the waters in Florida panhandle are much clearer than anywhere along Texas. This can be seen in how shore diving in the panhandle is quite popular and on any given summer day you'll find a dozen divers entering the water in various places, meanwhile shore diving anywhere along the Texas coast including SPI is almost unheard of. Google it.


The reason you can see the hue from the sand off the bottom is because the water is clear enough for light to penetrate to it. Anyone who has been to many beaches and stood in waist deep water knows you can see your feet clearly in Destin, might make out a shadow on a real good day in SPI, and no chance at all in Galveston.


Btw, for that video you cherry-picked an especially bad "green snot" day, as we call it. Go there 100 times and you might find it like that once or twice. Here's a more typical Destin day. And the proof is in the many jam-packed snorkeling and diving boats along the shore, which you will not see anywhere along the Texas coast and wouldn't see along the Florida coast if guests weren't impressed with the viz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEucWnQgeS4

[Steeped]

south padre has similar clarity to destin, tho. south padre is less packed than destin only because it is less well known and has a smaller population

both areas certainly have clear water, just padre having darker sand. of course the clear water at padre would then take on the darker hue that makes it look dirty compared to florida. but texas never has to worry about snot days.

the only reason people say destin beaches are better is for whiter sand, nothing more. so pretty much, destin is overrated.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gg_ZpRdqEk

[Irishtom29]

Destin is overrun with Canadians who throw nickels around like manhole covers.

[Steeped]

the texas coast regularly experiences stronger winds than florida due to stronger pressure gradients from mexican mountains. so that can cause more days of cloudier water when the sediment gets stirred.

you have to look at a calm day in order to get an accurate assessment of water clarity and on those days, south padre has water just like destin.