FiVe Skies

09/06/2026

🌊 FiVe Skies Beach Report #9

Another strong weekend at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

Beach Score: 8.0 / 10

🟢 Water Clarity: Good
🟡 Sargassum: Light
🟡 Crowd Level: Moderate
🟢 Surf: Calm

After the big improvement we've been watching over the last few reports, conditions continue to look excellent this weekend.

Weekly South Florida beach conditions from the same aerial viewpoints.

📍 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
flyfiveskies.com

09/03/2026

Earth’s shadow moving across the Moon over South Florida. 🌒

I captured last night’s deep partial lunar eclipse from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, documenting the Moon as it reached 96.3% coverage.

For this one, I used the DJI Air 3S two different ways: 1× from the air to capture the coastline and 3× from the ground for a stable view of the Moon as the eclipse progressed.

Did anyone else in South Florida stay up to watch it?

📍 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida

09/02/2026

FiVe Skies Time Capsules | Month 2 of 12

August marks the second chapter of a year-long visual experiment across South Florida.

Each month, I'm returning to the same locations and recreating the same aerial perspectives to document changes in the coastline, beaches, vegetation, waterways and surrounding development.

Right now, many of those differences may be subtle. As the months accumulate, these individual moments will eventually become a visual record of an entire year passing.

A Year in Motion.

Filmed and produced by FiVe Skies.

08/28/2026

🌊 FiVe Skies Beach Report #8 is live!
A little different share today since I'm already on the road, so I'm sharing this week's report directly from YouTube.
And it happens to be our highest Beach Score yet: 8.2/10! ☀️
🟢 Water Clarity: Good
🟡 Sargassum: Light
🟡 Crowd Level: Moderate
🟢 Surf: Calm
Conditions at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea have improved considerably, especially the sargassum we've been tracking over the past several weeks.
Check out the full Beach Report below. 🌊
FiVe Skies | South Florida

🌊 FiVe Skies Beach Report of the best beach days we've reco...

08/25/2026

Nearly 100 years later, I found myself running through the same Fort Lauderdale neighborhood my family once helped develop.

My great-great-grandfather, George Waldo Woodruff, was part of the early development of Rio Vista.

Life eventually brought me back to South Florida, and now I can run through the same neighborhood and stop at the property where he once lived.

Sometimes the past isn't as far away as it seems.

📍 Rio Vista | Fort Lauderdale, Florida

08/23/2026

🌊 FiVe Skies Beach Report #7

Today's conditions from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea:

Beach Score: 7.1 / 10

🟡 Water Clarity: Fair
🟠 Sargassum: Moderate
🟡 Crowd Level: Moderate
🟢 Surf: Calm

Good news this week: while sargassum is still visible in the nearshore water, accumulation directly along the shoreline has noticeably improved.

Weekly aerial reports from the same established viewpoints.

flyfiveskies.com

08/18/2026

Fort Lauderdale before most of the city wakes up. 🌅

I filmed this sunrise along the South Florida coast, capturing that quiet stretch of morning before the beaches, streets and water come alive.

Sometimes the best view of a city happens before the day really begins.

Are you a sunrise person or a sunset person?

📍 Fort Lauderdale, Florida

08/15/2026

🌊 FiVe Skies Beach Report #6

This week's conditions from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea:

Beach Score: 6.4 / 10

🟡 Water Clarity: Fair
🔴 Sargassum: Heavy
🟢 Crowd Level: Light
🟡 Surf: Moderate

Filmed from the same established aerial waypoints each week to document our changing South Florida coastline.

flyfiveskies.com

08/08/2026

🌊 FiVe Skies Beach Report #5

Saturday's conditions from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

Beach Score: 6.6 / 10

🟡 Water Clarity: Fair
🔴 Sargassum: Heavy
🟡 Crowd Level: Moderate
🟢 Surf: Calm

Each weekly report is captured from the same locked aerial waypoints, creating a consistent visual record of our changing coastline.

flyfiveskies.com