'VERY MINOR': Beaches from Okaloosa Island to Walton County see finger-nail sized impact from oil (WEEKEND UPDATE with PHOTOS)

Oil from deep in the Gulf of Mexico washed up on Okaloosa and Walton County beaches Saturday for the first time since the Deepwater Horizon gusher began.

Offshore sheen drifted closer to local shores as tar balls reached farther east. Lifeguards on the day’s first patrol found a “very minor” set of fingernail-sized tar balls on the western edge of Okaloosa Island near Air Force property, said Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Dino Villani.

“We probably had less than half a dozen,” he said.

No other tar balls were confirmed in Okaloosa County, he said.

Oil washed up in four Florida counties the day after the state saw its first beached oil on Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. Scattered tar balls were reported Saturday from Pensacola Beach to Grayton Beach, according to a news release from the Unified Command.

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To see photos from Navarre Beach, click here.

To see the latest spill photos from the Associated Press, click here.

To see the Billy Bowlegs invasion in FWB and the party on the water, click here.

To learn more about the situation in Walton County, click here.

To see the latest NOAA trajectory map, which shows potential impacts across the region, click here.

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An air reconnaissance mission sighted oil sheen just over a half-mile offshore from Hurlburt Field, the release states.

A private plane flying an advertising banner spotted oil sheen between 1 and 1ï¾½ miles off Navarre Beach Saturday, said Santa Rosa County spokeswoman Joy Tsubooka. Stormy weather prevented authorities from confirming the sighting, but crews will try again this morning.

“The thought is that it wasn’t going to affect the shore,” she said.

On Friday, 12 large tar mats trailed by sheen were seen 6 miles south and 1 mile east of the Navarre pier, according to the Unified Command’s news release. Each tar mat was 30-by-15 feet. Multiple skimmers were sent to collect the material.

Projections show oil will continue to impact Northwest Florida through Tuesday, as moderate to strong winds will continue to blow out of the southwest, according to the release.

Villani said Okaloosa’s biggest oil issue Saturday was dealing with boat traffic in the East Pass. He said a Coast Guard boat accidentally ran over a line of booms, forcing contractors to set them back in place. The pass has been designated a no-wake zone.

Last week, the county explored closing off the pass entirely, but engineers determined it would be “impossible,” Villani said. Officials discussed driving in pilings and pouring cement, but they determined the fast current could wash everything away while they were working.

Crews in Walton County closed off several of its dune lakes with sand, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

The area of federal waters closed to fishing was expanded Friday evening to include waters closer to the Florida shore. Federal waters, which start 9 miles off the coast, are now closed from Pensacola to Destin. State waters are still open for recreational fishing.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection opened a command post Saturday at Henderson Beach State Park. A crew of 25 will monitor the beaches by all-terrain vehicles.

Tar balls washed up near the new Navarre pier on the day it opened to the public. Cleanup crews along Navarre Beach sat under blue tents with plastic bags full of trash dotted with tar balls.

Matt Hewatt, whose grandfather built the 1960s version of the pier, leaned against the railing and looked west over the gulf. Fishermen crowded the pier. Catches of king mackerels were met with applause.

“With all the oil, one tiny bit of positiveness always helps,” he said.

COLLECTION OF COVERAGE

A GRIM ‘REALITY CHECK’: Boom deployed as oil approaches Destin coastline

To watch a video of boom being strung in the water, click here.

To see photos of crews stringing boom Friday in East Pass, click here.

To see photos of crews deploying boom on Norriego Point Thursday, click here.

To watch a video of the boom being placed on Norriego Point, click here.

Locals savor quality time at beach as oil nears » VIDEO, PHOTOS

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