Comeback Town: Lessons from the Mountain Brook and Birmingham Beach Disasters

I was vacationing on the Gulf of Mexico last month when tragedy struck—three young men in their 20s drowned in a rip current just hours after arriving in Panama City Beach, Florida. They were from my adopted hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. The pain of the event was palpable as I watched a tearful sister of one of the young men express her regret to a TV reporter: “I wish we had done more research [about the currents] before we went.”

Equally shocking was the unprovoked shark attack at Seacrest Beach, Florida, last month. Two teenage girls from Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham, were attacked while hunting for sand dollars in waist-deep water. One girl suffered life-threatening injuries, and her mother spoke of her daughter's heroic progress. The community rallied around the girls, showing concern and solidarity with purple ribbons.

These tragic events felt personal to me, perhaps because the Birmingham region has a unique bond with the beach towns of the Panhandle.

Birmingham’s Special Relationship with the Beaches

This connection began post-World War II, when coastal communities started to develop. Alabama historian Harvey H. Jackson III noted that so many people from Birmingham owned cottages or vacationed at places like Laguna Beach that a local barkeeper named his establishment the "Little B’ham." Jackson himself fondly remembered this place from his childhood, thanks to his grandmother's purchase of a lot at the coast in 1954.

Renowned architect Robert Davis, who grew up in Birmingham’s Edgewood neighborhood, also spent his childhood vacationing on the Gulf coast. He inherited pristine beach property and dreams of development from his grandfather, J.S. Smolian, who owned Birmingham’s beloved Pizitz department stores. In 1981, Davis and his wife, Daryl, pioneered the development of Seaside, transforming the Florida coastline into an iconic, award-winning community.

Furthermore, the magazine Coastal Living originated in Birmingham, not a coastal city. The team at Southern Living in Birmingham has long celebrated the best of the beach, reinforcing the strong connection between Birmingham and the Gulf coast.

Just a half-day’s drive from Alabama’s largest metropolitan area, the Gulf serves as a source of cherished memories and a popular escape—be it for fishing, family reunions, spring breaks, or summer vacations.

Rethinking Our Relationship with the Gulf

How, then, can things go so horribly wrong? I found myself deeply concerned, researching rip currents, double red flags, and ways to avoid shark attacks (signified by purple flags). As the heat wave hit, I also learned about the dangers of high temperatures and humidity.

My husband, still on vacation, tried to downplay my worries, but he agreed when I said, “It’s time for Birminghamians to rethink our relationship with the Gulf of Mexico.”

The Gulf is a Wild Place

Here’s a simple but profound idea: What if the Gulf is a wild place, not just our beach playground? If we see it this way, can we become more aware of nature and enjoy our vacations differently? Science shows we can't make our beach trips risk-free, but we can prepare better for the unpredictability of the wild.

Let's embrace a new perspective, respecting the Gulf's natural elements while finding safer, more informed ways to enjoy its beauty.