Latest Gulf of Mexico News
Private flight with 2 Saudi astronauts returns from space station with Gulf of Mexico splashdown
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private flight carrying two Saudi astronauts and other passengers returned to Earth late Tuesday night after a nine-day trip to the International Space Station. The SpaceX capsule carrying the four parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico, just off the...
Body recovered after small plane crashes in Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The body of the pilot of a small plane that crashed during a fish-spotting trip was recovered Thursday from the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot is believed to have been the only person aboard when the...
Surf's up! Florida's St. George Island beach named nation's best in annual ranking
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A 9-mile (14-kilometer) stretch of Florida sugar-white sand in an unspoiled natural setting alongside the Gulf of Mexico is the nation's best beach for 2023, according to the annual ranking released Thursday by the university professor known as “Dr. Beach.” ...
Surfing gator seen relaxing at Alabama beach amid the waves
There are plenty of alligators in Alabama. But how many enjoy a day at the beach? One such unlikely critter was spotted riding the waves recently on Dauphin Island, bobbing calmly near the human beachgoers sunbathing and wading. Matt Harvill, a 27-year-old Mobile...
Around-the-world regatta runs into giant seaweed flotilla
A 5,000-mile-long flotilla of seaweed stretching from Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is slowing the boats in the around-the-world Ocean Race as they make their way from Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is getting caught on the boats’ rudders, foils...
Underwater cemetery found off Dry Tortugas National Park
DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK, Fla. (AP) — Archeologists have found the remains of a 19th century quarantine hospital and cemetery on a submerged island in Florida's Dry Tortugas National Park in the Gulf of Mexico. While only one grave has been identified, historical records indicate...
Court ends challenge to 2021 Gulf oil and gas lease sale
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A lawsuit by environmentalists seeking to block the 2021 sale of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases auctioned off by the federal government was rejected Friday by a federal appeals court in Washington. Energy companies including Shell, BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil...
$3.1 million proposed to settle 2017 spill in Gulf of Mexico
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana energy company has reached a tentative $3.1 million settlement with the federal government over a 2017 Gulf of Mexico oil leak. The agreement, called a consent decree, was filed in federal court in New Orleans on Wednesday following the filing of a...
Study says warming may push more hurricanes toward US coasts
Changes in air patterns as the world warms will likely push more and nastier hurricanes up against the United States' east and Gulf coasts, especially in Florida, a new study said. While other studies have projected how human-caused climate change will probably alter the frequency,...
Officials: Eight people rescued at Florida Panhandle beach
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Eight people were rescued Thursday at a Florida Panhandle beach as weather forecasters predicted a high chance for rip currents in the area, officials said. Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to Johnson Beach in Perdido Key twice, the Pensacola News...
