Navarre Beach Pier

Jutting out about 1,545 feet, the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier is the longest one along the Gulf Coast, offering prime access into a thriving natural expanse of the Gulf. The 30-foot-tall platform reaches into deep waters, increasing the chance of catching larger species prevalent off-shore including king mackerel, cobia, redfish and tarpon. 

According to locals, who refer to this part of the Panhandle as “Florida’s best-kept secret,” reeling in up to 25-pound mackerels is typical thanks to catch-and-release regulation. Angling remains a year-round affair, though some whoppers, like tarpon (reaching up to 150 pounds), are more frequent in summer. 

Navarre Beach’s white sands and turquoise Gulf waters also offer fantastic wildlife watching. Dolphin and sea turtle sightings are prevalent; flashes of big schools of bait fish underwater tease pelicans and great blue herons to strike from their perches on pier railings.

Navarre Beach’s history as a quiet fishing community goes back centuries. The surrounding area was originally documented in the late 1600s by Spanish explorers traveling from Mexico. It remained largely undeveloped until well after the Great Depression with parts of the beach being used for military training exercises during World War II. Locals depended primarily on small boats and shoreline fishing until the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier was built in 1974. Over the years, the pier has been reconstructed and repaired several times due to hurricane damage. The present, 2010-built structure isn’t going anywhere. It features over 370 breakaway wooden panels innovatively engineered to detach during heavy wave action and minimize storm impact.