Hurricane Ian: Storm doesn't stop Collier County beachgoers from fun
While Collier County's schools were already slated to be off Sept. 26, overcast skies and the occasional drizzle kept most beachgoers away for the day.
Some but not all.
On Marco Island, Lely High School student Kai Spitzer strolled South Beach's public entryway with the goal of assessing wave heights before lugging his gear from home.
His goal: Teaching his girlfriend Kaitlyn Abellar how to surf.
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Elsewhere on Marco, three generations of the McHugh family from Buffalo were all smiles while having fun splashing, swimming and building sandcastles at the beach. They arrived for their annual month-long island vacation Sept. 24.
Matriarch Melissa McHugh said they were staying put at their Sunset Cove timeshare for the potential storm, noting, "We have food, shelter and water. We're all set and hoping to make the best of it."
The bartenders at the waterfront Sunset Grille aimed to help with that goal; her husband Ed returned with a potent potable to sip at the beach.
Heading uptown to a few blocks north of Naples Pier, Christy Renata, a ski instructor from Vail, Colorado, who's spending season here, brought therapy dog Lily to the beach to acclimate her Australian Shepherd to the sounds of potential storm conditions.
Lily is not a thunder-shirt kind of dog.
Though this is pup's first storm threat, this isn't Renata's first hurricane; she was in South Carolina during Hugo in 1989. Her rental home is prepped with supplies to last at least a week.
"What's the worst thing that could happen? We're not in Ukraine," said Renata.
Most beachgoers in Naples were not locals. From a family of four in Westchester, New York, to a duo from Germany's Black Forest region, people were having fun in and out of the calm waters. Beach volleyball enthusiasts from Miami were not to be distracted.
Elena and Gregory Pritzker enjoyed an early evening stroll near the Pier. Arriving on Sept. 25, the couple was visiting from New Jersey. Their hotel, the Trianon, hasn't mentioned anything yet about storm threats, but they have snacks and water in their mini-fridge from a Publix run.
The Pritzkers kept their vacation plans because everything was already paid for. They were making the most of it, spending time at the beach and looking at potential homes with a real estate agent.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier County beaches still popular before arrival of Hurricane Ian
