The underwater camera at Okaloosa Island Pier is streaming again after the Natural Resources team from Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach redeployed it Saturday with a dedicated fiber network.

• The camera had been offline for several months due to technical difficulties with the camera itself and infrastructure challenges.

Okaloosa County’s Information Technology department advised building the camera on its own fiber network, aiming to improve overall quality and avoid interruptions. IT technicians installed the conduit and fiber for the relaunch of the camera. The Natural Resources team then installed the camera on the new fiber network.

Divers entered the water around the pier Saturday morning to reinstall the camera. Staff from Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa County Beach Safety assisted from above, and the camera was live within about an hour. Michael Norberg from Fish and Wildlife Service consulted on the efforts.

Pier management said downtime will be kept as minimal as possible but outages can happen. They described the camera as “a phenomenal amenity” but not mission critical to both the pier and Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach, adding that any issues will be addressed as quickly as possible.

HAPPY STREAMING