Ugh:
GULF ISLANDS NATIONAL SEASHORE, Fla. - Oil sheen and tar balls washed ashore on a northwest Florida beach crowded with swimmers in what appeared to be the first impact on the state from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, authorities and witnesses said on Friday.
The oil debris came ashore on Pensacola Beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore which advertises "the world's whitest beaches."
At the same time, small gobs of reddish brown oil washed up in the surf for the first time in nearby Gulf Shores, Ala., and a petroleum smell tinged the air.
According to NBC, an official described the muck as a "tar mousse."
Meanwhile, the operation to capture and salvage some of the leaking oil continues. The cap is in place, and some oil is being salvaged, but until vents in the cap are closed, we won't know if it will effectively capture a substantial portion of the leaking oil or not. BP expects to begin closing the vents today, so we should find out soon whether the latest attempt to control the leak has been effective or not.