There are several great chain hotels at the beach. Hampton, Marriott are the best. The issue is the bridge from the mainland to Pensacola beach was damaged in a hurricane last month. Check and see if you can get to the beach easily.

There were some decent waves. And the water was as clear as I’ve seen in the Bahamas. I was very impressed with Pensacola Beach!

It is usually allowed and is a frequent activity on the beach. Check with the tourism office for current guidelines. It may not be considered a social distancing option and Florida recently upgraded their covid precautions.

My family has been going to Pensacola about twice per year lately. We've never seen a shark, but we do know that sharks are occasionally seen at the end of the pier. We've seen quite a few jelly fish but never more than a couple at a time. We did see a group of about 7 rays about 20 yards into the water once but they weren't hanging around. Basically, there's enough wildlife to see, but not usually enough wildlife to be bothered by.