By Mike Busch

After walking to the Old Inlet Wilderness Breach on Sunday, I knew I needed a better look.  Luckily my friend Dan Aragona offered to take me over on his small duck boat on Monday.  Conditions were ideal with very light winds, clear skies and a dead calm bay.

The inlet overall hasn’t changed much over the winter with the most notable difference a small island that has formed inside the east cut.   While there is a tremendous amount of sand fanned out into the bay, there seem to be plenty of deeper narrow channels allowing for  good water flow.  I look forward to the next report from Dr. Charles Flagg  for a more scientific perspective but fears that the inlet may close and shoal up any time soon were probably premature.

As usual, the late winter water quality is incredible.

Unfortunately, the dunes between  the west side of the Inlet and Bellport Beach have not fared well through the winter, I will follow-up with more video and images of that section tomorrow.

More images on Page 2