| Choctawhatchee Bay | |
| Coordinates: | 30.4394°N -86.3111°W |
| Length: | 27miles[1] |
| Width: | 6miles |
| Max-Depth: | 43feet |
| Pushpin Map: | Florida |
| Area: | 129mi2 |
| Inflow: | Choctawhatchee River |
| Outflow: | Gulf of Mexico, Santa Rosa Sound |
| Cities: | Fort Walton Beach, DestinSanta Rosa Beach, Freeport, Niceville, Shalimar, Valparaiso |
| Catchment: | 5405mi2 |
Choctawhatchee Bay is a bay in the Emerald Coast region of the Florida Panhandle. The bay, located within Okaloosa and Walton counties, has a surface area of 334km2.[2] It is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, connected to it through East Pass (also known as Destin Pass). It also connects to Santa Rosa Sound in Fort Walton Beach, Florida to the west and to St. Andrews Bay in Bay County to the east, via the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. East Pass is the only outlet of the bay flowing directly into the Gulf of Mexico.[3] The Choctawhatchee River flows into Choctawhatchee Bay, as do several smaller rivers and streams.[4] The Mid-Bay Bridge crosses the bay, connecting the city of Destin to Niceville, Florida. Second bridge across the bay is the Judge Clyde B. Wells Bridge.[5]
The bay was charted by Spanish, French, and English expeditions, The bay appears on some charts as "St. Rose's Bay".[6] [7]
Following the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, small bands of Creeks lived on the shores of Choctawhatchee Bay.[8]
As noted in a 1993 Eglin AFB report, Test Area D-55 was originally installed in the World War II era by Eglin Air Force Base with "omnidirectional radar corner reflectors" on top to be used as a radar target range.[9]
Test Area D-55 is formed by 25 arrays of 2,040 wood pilings placed east of the Clyde B. Wells Bridge. They are located in 8 feet of water and the array extends for 1.2 miles.
Several towns and cities are located around the Choctawhatchee Bay:
Below are a few of the tributary rivers and bayous that feed into the Choctawhatchee Bay.