The Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) continues to closely monitor the offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The CVB is in close contact with local, state and federal officials and will continue to advise area visitors on any new developments. Panama City Beach  remains open for business. We will continue to post confirmed updates on this page as they become available.Panama City continues to welcome visitors to enjoy our destination. Our sugary white sand beaches are open for the enjoyment of our guests and, as of now, we have seen only minor impact as a result of the Deepwater Horizon off-shore oil spill in the form of small scattered tar balls and oil patches. These impacts have been very small and not disrupted visitors.

The beaches and water are clear and open for enjoyment. In other news:

--Currently, Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
-- According to the NOAA oil plume model, the oil plume is over 150 miles from Panama City. No direct, significant onshore impacts are forecasted. DO NOT pose a health risk to the average person. However, beachgoers are advised not to pick them up or bury them and asked to report any sightings. To read NOAA’s information about tar balls, click here. To report any sightings of tar balls, or oil, please call(850) 248-6030.The beaches are open and the swimming is still safe.U.S. Coast Guard asked boaters to be cognizant of the boom in place as they venture out.

--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continues to periodically modify commercial and recreational fishing closures in the oil-affected portions of the Gulf of Mexico. The current closed areas are described at NOAA.

--All commercial and recreational fishing including catch and release is prohibited in the closed area; however, transit through the area is allowed.EOC has developed contingency plans to protect the beach, St. Andrew Bay and other environmentally sensitive areas of Bay County.

--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updates its projected trajectories daily. Forecasts are only 72hrs in advance. Click here for NOAA trajectories.

-- Staging crews are staged beachfront for quick deployment upon reports of product landfall. All landfall so far has been cleaned up quickly and no disruption to visitors have occurred. Visitors may see increased activity as crews monitor the beach for any possible land fall.

We will continue to monitor the situation and post information pertinent to our  local area as it becomes available.The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has established the website www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon; Floridians and travelersto the destination should visit the site for official updates. Deciding if you should book your vacation? Check out our Vacation GUARANTEES and be worry free!

We strongly encourage visitors to continue with their plans to enjoy their vacation here in Panama City Beach and support those whose livelihoods are directly connected to our tourism industry.  Our tourism industry partners stand ready to welcome our valued guests and we are collectively very appreciative of the ongoing support and business. This is – and will always be – one of the most fun destinations in the world.
Helpful websites available to give you up-to-date information on the status of the situation.

• Bay County EOC
• NOAA
• www.epa.gov/bpspill/
• www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse

Want to see the current conditions on the beach? Take a look through some of the live webcams that are on the beach! Click Here