Capt. Mike King brought the Hiliner home through the Intracoastal on Saturday morning, the day after Hurricane Isaias. He told The Destin Log there was "lots of lumber in the water." Once he got west of the Mid-Bay Bridge, it "wasn't too bad." By around noon his crew was grilling triggerfish at the docks.
His route home shows how the storm treated Destin's waterfront. Isaias came through as a Category 2 on Oct. 9, 2026, and the harbor side of town, which faces the Gulf, was working again almost at once. Across the Marler Bridge on Choctawhatchee Bay, the marinas, the pier and the waterfront restaurant took the damage, and that side will set the pace of recovery for the rest of October. If you keep a boat here, which side of the bridge you launch from now affects your weekend more than the forecast does.
The Harbor Came Back in About a Day
The Destin Log's photos from the morning of Oct. 10 show docks standing in Destin Harbor, people already walking them, and charter boats back in their slips by mid-morning. Wave runners were cruising the harbor. The blue marlin was still on the roof of AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar.
Getting the fleet back took planning. The Destin Log reported that captains had moved their boats ahead of the storm. Some went to St. Andrew's Marina in Panama City, some to Bay Point, and others anchored in the Intracoastal or in the bays and bayous. Capt. Cliff Atwell of the Reel Grace waited until Sunday to bring his boat back, and he explained why in the same story:
"When you have something like this, all the debris and logs wash off the banks. It's kind of dangerous to drive in it."
His plan was to run back to Destin on Sunday morning through the Gulf, in a caravan with other captains.
Harbor businesses got through the storm too. Missy and Chris Schofield of the Boathouse Oyster Bar spent Saturday morning pulling tarps and boards off the building. Missy said the inside was "completely dry," and the Boathouse was open again by Sunday. The Destin Log's summary was that harbor businesses reported minimal damage and reopened quickly.
The harbor side still has a few problems. Some racks at HarborWalk Marina came down, and the East Pass Marina parking lot flooded. If you keep a boat in dry storage at either marina, call before you plan a launch. The slips and the channel are in much better shape than the dry-stack racks.
East Pass Got a Formal Survey Five Days Later
Boats were back in the harbor before anyone officially checked the pass. On Oct. 14, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey vessel Blackwater ran emergency soundings in East Pass near Destin Harbor. Mobile District engineering technician Aaron Yarbrough and surveyor Jerry "JB" McLendon were aboard. The Corps' account says the crew finished its last survey line near the entrance of East Pass and found "a clean, dredged channel profile—safe for navigation."
That survey was done to restore commercial traffic, which includes the fuel barges serving the region and the military aviation fuel deliveries to Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field. Recreational boaters now have the same confirmation. The Corps sends its new channel charts to the Coast Guard and commercial operators. A channel that's deep enough for a barge can still have floating wood in it, though, so Atwell's warning about logs and debris still applies.
The Rodeo Lost Three Days and Restarted on Monday
The Destin Fishing Rodeo is the clearest sign of how fast the harbor recovered. The Destin Log reported that the Rodeo was shut down for three days because of Isaias and that Oct. 12 was its first day back. The leaderboard was leaning after the storm, and the Rodeo board asked for volunteers to help get things running. In the paper's words, "the people showed up." By Monday morning the scales were back up, the merchandise trailer was restocked, and weigh-ins started at 10 a.m.
The 78th Rodeo is still scheduled for Oct. 1 to 31, with daily weigh-ins from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the AJ's dock. No storm extension has been announced. That leaves the rest of October for weigh-ins, and the docks where the fish are weighed came through in good shape.
North of the Bridge Is a Different Story
Look the other way from the Marler Bridge and the damage is heavier.
- Destin Marina, on Choctawhatchee Bay just north of the bridge, had severe damage in the Destin Log's Oct. 10 photos. This is the marina overlooking Crab Island.
- Dewey Destin's on the bay was damaged.
- The Joe's Bayou fishing pier was ripped apart.
- Destin Army Recreation Area says on its own page that the recreation area has reopened but the marina is still closed because of storm damage.
The bay is also where the debris was worst. King's "lots of lumber" was in the Intracoastal east of the Mid-Bay Bridge, and the water only cleared up west of it. If your dock is on a bayou or canal off Choctawhatchee Bay, your first few runs after the storm will cross that water.
Norriego Point Recreation Area, the city's $15 million project at the mouth of the harbor, opened to the public March 5, 2026, so this was its first hurricane season. No post-storm update has been posted for Norriego Point or Crab Island, and the last public photos of the marina next to Crab Island show heavy damage.
How to Plan a Day on the Water Through the End of October
The harbor side has the most confirmed good news, so it's the easiest place to start. Here's a plan for the next couple of weekends, starting with what's known to be working:
- Start at the harbor. Boats are in their slips, the Boathouse was open by Oct. 11, and the Rodeo weighs fish at the AJ's dock every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Oct. 31.
- Use the Gulf for longer runs. The Corps surveyed East Pass on Oct. 14 and called it safe for navigation. Captains who chose the Gulf over the Intracoastal on the way home were avoiding debris along the banks.
- Call ahead about the bay side. Before trailering to Joe's Bayou, check with the City of Destin. The facility listing shows normal launch fees and amenities, not storm status. The same goes for Destin Marina, Dewey Destin's bayside location, and any plans for a Crab Island raft-up.
- Expect crews on land as well. The City of Destin scheduled storm debris collection to start Oct. 15 in West Destin, running sunrise to sunset seven days a week. The city estimated the first pass would take about 17 days, which would put trucks in neighborhoods through roughly the first days of November. Leave extra time if you're towing a trailer down a side street to a ramp.
- Check before you book anything for guests. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach visitor bureau's Oct. 14 update said power and essential services were widely restored but some disruptions remained. It asked people to confirm with each business directly.
Missy Schofield gave the Destin Log her own read on why the harbor got off easy. "The Destin Dome held," she said, and the storm never brought the second half she expected after the eye passed. Whatever the reason, the Gulf-facing waterfront is open, and the bay-side marinas, piers and restaurants will each reopen on their own schedule.
When you own on the water, the storms you've been through affect how you weigh a dock, a slip or a launch. Our team works with waterfront buyers and sellers across Destin's harbor, bayou and bay-side neighborhoods. If you'd like to talk through what Isaias showed about the property you own or are thinking about buying, Justin Myers is here to help you Find Your Emerald Coast Home.
