Pelican Beach Resort beach & sargassum forecast
Destin, FL · Florida Panhandle, United States · 30.386, -86.472
Updated : low seaweed, beach grade A-, sea 74°F.
Also listed as Pelican Beach Resort Destin.
Veabird's call
Thursday tops at A- with 1.7 ft waves, 78°F air and 74°F water.
Gulf Islands National Seashore is a short trip for extra shoreline variety.
Grades from Veabird's beach forecast; wording by AI (Muse Spark), checked against the forecast. Updated Nov 12, 18:00 UTC.
Tell me when Pelican Beach Resort is clear
One email when the seaweed clears or the beach grades A, at most once a week per beach. We only ask for your email address, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe.
We email you a link to confirm first. Privacy
Plan your trip
Where to stay nearby
Partner links: Veabird may earn a commission at no cost to you. Partners never affect forecasts or scores.
Questions about Pelican Beach Resort
Does Pelican Beach Resort get sargassum (seaweed)?
Only a little in most years. At Pelican Beach Resort the typical-year risk stays low, even around July, the usual peak (moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in an estimated 15% of weeks). Landings vary by year, wind and currents.
How warm is the water at Pelican Beach Resort?
About 72°F in November. The sea is warmest in August (about 87°F) and coolest in January (about 60°F).
When is the best time to visit Pelican Beach Resort?
For warm water and dry weather, aim for October. October brings about 7 rainy days and a sea near 79°F.
When is hurricane season at Pelican Beach Resort, and how often do storms hit?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November and peaks around September. A tropical storm passed within 86 miles of Pelican Beach Resort in 16 of the 55 seasons from 1971 to 2025, and a hurricane within 58 miles in 4. The riskiest stretch is around September 3, when the chance of a storm passing in any one week is about 3%; across all of September it is about 11%. Flexible bookings and travel insurance help in the peak weeks.
What guests say about Pelican Beach Resort Destin
Guests like Great location · Beautiful views · Comfortable accommodations · Friendly staff
Watch for Musty smell in the condo · Some amenities not clean · High cost for beach services
- Cleanliness
8.5 - Service
9.5 - Location
10.0 - Room Quality
9.5 - Amenities
9.2 - Value for Money
8.8 - Food and Beverage
9.7 - Overall Experience
9.9
Read all 56 reviews · Compare on Expedia
Scores and reviews come from guests who stayed, through LiteAPI (Nuitée). The likes, watch-fors and category scores are an AI summary of those reviews. Partner links: Veabird may earn a commission.
Sargassum season at Pelican Beach Resort
Low sargassum risk year-round at Pelican Beach Resort: even around July, the usual peak, Veabird estimates moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in about 15% of weeks. Actual landings vary a lot by year, wind and currents; check the live conditions above.
Estimated share of weeks in each month with moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach. Veabird takes the landing season seen on Quintana Roo's beaches (a Puerto Morelos beach camera, 2015–2020, and the Mexican Navy's beach alerts, 2022–2026), the nearest coast with a multi-year beach record (this one has none), and scales it by how often NOAA AOML satellites see notable seaweed within about 20 km of this stretch of coast: 12% of weeks here on average, against 54% off Quintana Roo, so 23% of that season. The satellite share (2016–2024, the top fifth of all coast-weeks, adjusted for this beach's exposure of 38%) measures seaweed offshore, not on the sand: off the Riviera Maya it reads high even in winter, when little lands. Very low under 10%, Low 10–24%, Moderate 25–44%, High 45–69%, Very high 70%+. Beach faces 180°; onshore winds from that direction push seaweed ashore. Satellite sargassum data: USF Optical Oceanography Lab (Sargassum Watch System) via NOAA AOML. The satellite record as open data.
The Florida Panhandle month by month
Typical weather, water temperature, seaweed and crowds for every month: the best time to visit the Florida Panhandle.
- The Florida Panhandle in January
- The Florida Panhandle in February
- The Florida Panhandle in March
- The Florida Panhandle in April
- The Florida Panhandle in May
- The Florida Panhandle in June
- The Florida Panhandle in July
- The Florida Panhandle in August
- The Florida Panhandle in September
- The Florida Panhandle in October
- The Florida Panhandle in November
- The Florida Panhandle in December
Weather, water & seaweed by month at Pelican Beach Resort
Average highs run from about 60°F in January to 88°F in August. The sea is warmest in August (about 87°F) and coolest in January (about 60°F). October and November are usually the driest, with about 7 rainy days each; July is the wettest, with about 24 rainy days.
| Month | Avg high | Sea | Rainy days | Sargassum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60°F | 60°F | 10 | Very low |
| Feb | 65°F | 61°F | 10 | Very low |
| Mar | 70°F | 66°F | 11 | Very low |
| Apr | 74°F | 71°F | 9 | Very low |
| May | 81°F | 78°F | 14 | Low |
| Jun | 86°F | 83°F | 19 | Low |
| Jul | 87°F | 86°F | 24 | Low |
| Aug | 88°F | 87°F | 21 | Low |
| Sep | 85°F | 85°F | 14 | Very low |
| Oct | 79°F | 79°F | 7 | Very low |
| Nov | 71°F | 72°F | 7 | Very low |
| Dec | 64°F | 65°F | 9 | Very low |
Monthly averages from 6 years of ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo) for this area's 0.5° grid cell; rainy days have at least 1 mm (0.04 in). Sargassum is the typical-year estimate described above. Any given year can differ.
Cleanup & barriers
- Offshore barriers
- None deployed offshore.
- Public cleanup
- County beach services (Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Escambia) remove heavy mats; dune protection limits machinery.
- Resort crews
- Resort beach services clear chair zones daily.
- Typical clearing time
- 1–3 days
Safety notes
US domestic
- Among the highest rip-current fatality rates in the US; obey double red flags.
- Purple flag = dangerous marine life (jellyfish).
Check official advisories and local flags before swimming. Decomposing sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide; avoid heavy piles.
Things to do near Destin, FL
- Crab Island (Destin)
- Seaside & Rosemary Beach towns
- Gulf Islands National Seashore
- Pier Park (Panama City Beach)
- Blue Angels at NAS Pensacola
Fly in for the best beach days
Suggested dates are a week in October. Change them to match the live forecast above.
Opens a flight search in a new tab. Partner link: Veabird may earn a commission.
Nearest airports
- Destin–Fort Walton Beach (VPS), ~12 km
Nearby resorts
- SummerPlace Inn Destin, FL · 1 km
- Henderson Beach Resort Destin, FL · 3 km
- Beachside Inn Destin, FL · 4 km
- Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa Miramar Beach, FL · 11 km
- Okaloosa Island Beach Resorts Fort Walton Beach, FL · 12 km
- Four Points by Sheraton Destin-Fort Walton Beach Fort Walton Beach, FL · 12 km
Embed this forecast
Hotels and travel sites can show live conditions for Pelican Beach Resort for free. Get the widget · Data & API