Sharky’s Beach Webcam, Panama City Beach, Florida

The Sharky’s Beach Webcam watches the Gulf of Mexico from the deck of Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant at 15201 Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach, Florida. The main Beach Cam looks west along the shore: white sand, lines of surf breaking on the left, beach volleyball courts marked out below the deck and a long fishing pier on the horizon. Rental catamarans, banana boats and jet skis are often pulled up near the water, and the restaurant’s own wooden tables and blue umbrellas fill the lower right of the frame. A second Deck Cam, in the next tab, points straight out to sea over the dining deck, with the edge of the thatched tiki roof on the right. Between them the two views follow the day from a quiet early beach to a full deck at lunchtime.

About Sharky’s Beach and the Tiki Bar

Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant has stood on this stretch of Panama City Beach since 1986. The restaurant tells its own founding story: Clark Bennett, known as The Shark, traded a nine-to-five bank job for a business on the sand. The original footprint covered only the area of today’s oyster bar. Deck and dining space has since grown to more than 1,390 square meters (15,000 square feet).

The centerpiece is the tiki, which Sharky’s describes as the largest open-air palapa in the United States, built from more than 100,000 cabbage palm fronds and thousands of cypress knees and poles. The restaurant says it has come through three Category 4 hurricanes, one Category 5 and dozens of tropical storms. Its thatch shows in both camera views, at the right edge of the Beach Cam and towering over the right side of the Deck Cam. Over the years the deck has also served as an open-air concert stage for acts including Rick Springfield, The Fixx, Meat Loaf, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kansas.

The Sharky’s Beach Webcam faces roughly west, with the Gulf on its left. The long pier on the horizon is most likely Russell-Fields City Pier, which the city says runs more than 457 meters (1,500 feet) out into the Gulf and sits directly across from the main entrance to Pier Park, roughly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) west of Sharky’s. Closer in, low grassy dunes separate the sand from the condo towers along Front Beach Road. The Deck Cam is the people view, looking down over wooden tables, benches and strings of lights to the volleyball net and the surf beyond.

Weather and Climate in Panama City Beach

Panama City Beach has long, humid summers. The hot season runs from late May to the end of September with average highs above 29 C (84 F), and July peaks at about 32 C (89 F) by day and 25 C (77 F) at night. July is also the wettest month, with about 145 millimeters (5.7 inches) of rain, and the cloudiest stretch of the year runs from mid-June to mid-September, so tall clouds can stack up over the water on the Beach Cam by early afternoon. Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30, with the most activity usually between August and October.

Winter is mild and much quieter. The cool season runs from early December to the start of March with highs below 20 C (68 F), and January averages 17 C (63 F) by day and 9 C (48 F) at night. The Gulf lags behind the air: it is coolest in February at about 17 C (63 F) and warmest in August at about 29 C (85 F), staying above 27 C (80 F) from early June to early October. Skies are clearest from mid-September to mid-June, which gives autumn and spring the best odds of a crisp view down the beach to the pier.

Things to Do Near Sharky’s Beach

The closest outing is on the horizon of the Beach Cam. Russell-Fields City Pier is open around the clock every day of the year, to walkers as well as anglers, and Pier Park, the outdoor shopping and dining center across the road, is the natural next stop. Heading the other way, M.B. Miller County Pier at 12213 Front Beach Road is a second long fishing pier, about 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) east of Sharky’s.

For nature, St. Andrews State Park at the eastern end of the beach has white dunes, pinewoods and marshes, with the Gator Lake Trail and the Blue Heron Trail for spotting alligators, wading birds and waterfowl. Seasonal shuttle boats run from the park across the channel to Shell Island, an undeveloped barrier island about 11 kilometers (7 miles) long that suits snorkeling and quiet beach days. Inland, Panama City Beach Conservation Park covers about 1,170 hectares (2,900 acres) with boardwalks and 39 kilometers (24 miles) of unpaved trails, in loops from 0.8 kilometers (half a mile) to 19 kilometers (12 miles). Toward the western end of the city, Camp Helen State Park spreads over 73 hectares (180 acres) between the Gulf and Lake Powell, with fishing, swimming, hiking and beachcombing.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Another camera covers a different stretch of Panama City Beach, and two more watch the Panhandle coast to the west and east.

• Panama City Beach Webcam
• Destin Webcam
• St. George Island Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sharky’s Beach located?

Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant is at 15201 Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach, in Bay County on the Florida Panhandle. It sits right on the sand facing the Gulf of Mexico, about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) east of Russell-Fields City Pier and Pier Park.

What can you see on the Sharky’s Beach Webcam?

The Beach Cam looks west along the shore over volleyball courts, rental catamarans and jet skis, the surf and a long pier on the horizon, with the restaurant deck on the right. The Deck Cam looks straight out to sea over the dining tables and blue umbrellas, with the thatched tiki roof on the right.

What is the weather like in Panama City Beach?

Summers are hot, humid and wet, with July highs near 32 C (89 F). Winters are mild, with January highs around 17 C (63 F).

When is the Gulf warm enough to swim in Panama City Beach?

The water is warmest in August at about 29 C (85 F) and coolest in February at about 17 C (63 F). It stays above 27 C (80 F) from early June to early October, which is the warmest swimming window of the year.

Is that Russell-Fields Pier on the Sharky’s webcam?

Most likely. The Beach Cam faces west with the Gulf on its left, and Russell-Fields City Pier is the next pier in that direction, roughly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) away and more than 457 meters (1,500 feet) long.

When is hurricane season in Panama City Beach?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and activity usually peaks between August and October.

How long has Sharky’s been on Panama City Beach?

Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant has been open since 1986, starting from a footprint the size of today’s oyster bar.

Source: Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant