Mississippi's coastal beaches and islands have remained open to tourists and visitors despite the BP oil spill and the large tar balls that wash up on the shores. Last month, Governor Haley Barbour assured the public that "tar balls are no big deal." "The worst thing for us," he continued, "has been how our tourist season has been hurt by the misperception of what is going on down here. The Mississippi gulf coast is beautiful. As I tell people, the coast is clear. Come on down!"
So we did! I went with a group of students to Ship Island, located 12 miles south of the coast from Gulfport. There were about 50 people on the ferry to the island; we were told by the crew that on a Sunday in July the ship usually fills its 350-person capacity. There were several families with many little children, and they relaxed on the beach and swam in the waters without any concern or regard for the stealthy clean-up crews, large tar balls, or the strange ship that loomed in the distance. Few of us thought that it was a good idea to go in the water, so we explored parts of the island away from the small section that had been cleaned for tourists. Tar balls dotted the beaches and collected in inland waters.
Images from top:
1. Clean-up crew on the coast;
2. & 3. Tourists on the ferry;
4. First sign of oil in the islands marshes;
5. Clean-up crew on the island;
6. Public Health notice;
7. Family swimming with strange ship in the distance;
8. A large tar ball;
9. Oil on the uncleaned parts of the beach;
10. Oil pit in the marshes.
