Families flock to Sandestin

Oil spill fades from memory at this Gulf Coast resort

DESTIN, FLA. — The dolphins, silvery and serene, skimmed through the translucent Gulf of Mexico in rhythm with the fluttering sails of the catamaran. The catamaran’s passengers peered at the dolphins with nothing less than absolute awe, pointing and laughing as the creatures occasionally surfaced and frolicked like small children at play. The golden sun was just beginning its descent across the Gulf near Sandestin as the dolphins moved away into deeper water, signaling the cruise was almost at its end.

That was just over a year ago, before last April's Deepwater Horizon oil spill devastated Gulf Coast tourism. Now, just as the anniversary of the spill nears, you would be hard-pressed to find a tar ball along the clean white-sand beaches of Northwest Florida.

Story in the Tennessean
Written by
Mary Ann Anderson
McClatchy-Tribune News Service