Are you arriving to the airshow late? 

Can't find a spot on the sand? Don't worry. There's a trick, of sorts — to sort your situation. 

While the sand on the east side of the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier is jammed pack, the beach on the west side of the pier still has wide open stretches on available space ripe for the choosing. 

Mike Hamby tagged along to the airshow on Saturday with a small group of friends who he said are annual attendees. 

"They come every year, and I think they always go to the other side," Hamby said, referring to the sand west of the pier. 

"It's not as crowded. Over here," he said, motioning to the east, "looking at it, not everyone has a great view. 

"But over there," he continued, looking toward the western side of the pier, "there are a lot of open spaces, and everyone has a great view." 

When a group of a dozen or so friends composed of mid-20s to early 30s saw the Pensacola waves crashing into their tent in the middle of the night, they knew they were going to have to find a fast solution.

"We're like, 'what's he doing?'" Jordan Williams  recalled, as he looked over and saw his friend building a moat out of sand.

"Just trying to keep you guys safe, man," Jacob Rosas called back.

The plan went better than expected, as they secured themselves a Gulf view spot as the crowds grew throughout the early morning, with all of their belongings safe from the water.

They even were able to see some marine life during the construction process as they caught a glimpse of bioluminescence at 2:30 a.m. 

As each tent takes on its own identity from its hosts, Williams' space was decked out in patterned tapestries and a cooler full of food and Jell-O shots.

"Everybody comes out, they know what's going on," Williams said.

Need to know info:Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show: What you need to know Saturday

A group of around 20 Pensacola Beach lifeguards could be seen loading up pickup trucks with safety equipment before heading off to take up their posts Saturday overseeing the safety of beach goers. 

Pensacola Beach Water Safety Chief Dave Greenwood said his lifeguard teams were "extremely motivated" and happy to be working "the showcase event" that is the Blue Angels Airshow.

"They understand the importance of safety," Greenwood noted. 

Surf conditions are expected to be relatively calm Saturday. 

Green flags were flying over the beach has of 7:45 a.m.

"Everything depends of what the Gulf is doing," Greenwood said, about beach-safety conditions. 

Replay:Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show Friday live updates

But while green flags indicate there is a lowered risk of rip currents, that does not mean that swimmers should not be cautious. 

"We're not saying it's safe. Green flags don't mean you should say, 'Oh, it's green! It's safe!'" Greenwood said. "Flags are meant to be a measurement of the risks — not the safety." 

He added, "If you don't know how to swim, you should not go into the Gulf of Mexico. 

"That would be a very bad idea," he continued. 

Lifeguard staffing numbers have been increased considerably — nearly doubled -- for the airshow. 

On a typical summer day, there are around 25 lifeguards patrolling Pensacola Beach. 

There are approximately 50 lifeguards on duty for the Saturday show. 

Lifeguards responded to several minor heat injuries at the Friday show but no major injuries or incidents, according to Greenwood. 

Pensacola couple Megan and Nick Pargoff, who made the trek out to camp out at the beach in the middle of the night to arrive at 2:30 a.m., have learned that Blues weekend isn't all about the show, but what happens before.

For the younger generation, the all-day beach hangout is becoming a must-do event even for those with little interest in aviation.

"Especially for the younger group who use it as a social scene. I think a lot of people see it as a beach festival more than a show," Megan Pargoff said. 

The camp-out started out feeling like they arrived to the party early, as they reclined their yard chairs and caught up on sleep. But as people started trickling in, the excitement built. She said she expects the social scene to grow as people around them start socializing and the drinks continue flowing.

"Drinks. Yard pong. Music. Drinks," Megan Pargoff said of her agenda for the day.

Nick Pargoff added that next year, the couple wants to take the experience a step further by camping for the full night. But, he does think he'll take notes from his beachside neighbors and bring a sleeping bag the next time around. 

As the designator place-holder to watch all of her friend group's belongings, Savannah Blacklidge got a lot of action from her curbside vantage point.  

As sheriff deputies continued to detour visitors from the filled parking lots, Blacklidge witnessed a collision right in front of her while she was talking to a deputy to pass the time.

"I was talking to the officer, the car pulled out in reverse and (started) ramming right into the person right there," Blacklidge said motioning to the vehicles across the intersection.

Even though she got an early start and headed to the beach at 5:30 a.m. from Perdido, she said she definitely wouldn't have wanted to get there any later. 

"Things are getting crazy out there," Blacklidge said.

Blacklidge said the craziness is worth it as she is excited for her first-time experience.

It’s going to be a hot one.  

The National Weather Service Mobile is predicting a high of around 90 degrees for Pensacola Beach on Saturday, but that’s not counting the humidity.  

“It’s pretty humid,” said meteorologist Don Shepard. 

Down by the water, there was a 100% humidity factor of 6:45 a.m., and although the humidity was expected to decrease to around 50% or 60% humidity as the morning progressed, Shepard noted, “But that’s still pretty humid, and it’s still going to be pretty muggy.” 

When the high temperature is combined with the day’s humidity, beach goers at Airshow should expect it to feel as like 105 degrees outside.  

There is a chance that some showers and thunderstorms may pass over Pensacola Beach around 9 or 10 a.m. before moving more inland in the afternoon.  

The beach was expected to experience 5 to 10 mile per hour southwesterly breezes throughout the morning with afternoon sea breezes strengthening to around 10 to 15 miles per hour.  

“The conditions are conducive to water spouts this morning. We don’t know that we’ll get any. But there is a potential that we will,” Shepard said. “There were similar conditions yesterday morning, and we didn’t see any.” 

There was a virtual forest of beach umbrellas, tall tents and makeshift shelters on Casino Beach by the time the sun rose Saturday morning over the Gulf of Mexico. 

To get a good viewing spot to see the Blues, would be spectators arrived throughout the early morning hours.  

However, to get what perhaps is one of the most coveted viewing locations — exactly on the edge of the waterline at high tide — the Taylor family took their arriving early to whole other level.  

“10:30,” Patrick Taylor said. “Last night. Yeah, we got here at 10:30 last night.” 

Patrick Taylor, his wife, Jennifer Taylor, their eldest daughter, Elise Taylor, and her boyfriend, Joseph Kilcoyne, arrived on Casino Beach at 10:30 p.m. Friday night to secure their ideal viewing location for the 2022 Blue Angels Airshow.  

They came equipped with two tents, multiple chairs and several large coolers, and their personal little compound sat about three feet from the water.  

“We brought tents, chairs to sleep in, slept on the beach and the next thing you know it was sunrise,” Patrick Taylor said.  

See them all year:Blue Angels 2022 practice schedule announced

This is the eighth year in a row that Patrick and Jennifer have attended the airshow together. The Pensacola couple said that they always arrive the night before for a chance to enjoy the show from the best vantage point possible and “just a chance to be around the Blues,” Patrick explained.  

“I slept better last night than I usually do, probably because we had the chairs to sleep in this time,” Jennifer said.  

“Yeah, sometimes, we’ve just had to sleep on the beach,” Patrick added, referring to the sand.  

They said that there were around 100 people who had the same idea as they did and spent the night on the beach. 

“When we went to sleep, there were some tents around, but by the time we woke up there was all of this,” Patrick said, pointing to the forest of beach umbrellas.  

Lisa Wingate hit the road for Pensacola Beach with friends at 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning headed to watch the Blues from Mobile, Alabama. 

When it came to making preparations for the day in the sun, good snacks, of course, were at the forefront. Wingate said she spared no expense for a day watching the Blues —a show she has not seen in 15 years.

"I feel like I'm on vacation," Wingate said with a giggle. 

Some last-minute splurges included a brand-new beach bag and the item she may be most proud of — a homemade charcuterie tackle box.

Little cubes of pickles, candies, nuts, meats and cheese filled the fishing container. The tackle box was packed away in a cooler as her group hauled it from the pavement to the sand to start the day.

"A whole lot of time and money went into making it, so I'm excited," she said.

The Merriman family set their hopes high on seeing the Blue Angels fly ever since making the move to Birmingham, Alabama from their home country of New Zealand just a few years ago.

Tony and Marilyn Merriman spoke excitably through rich New Zealand accents of how they originally tried to see the Blue Angels fly in 2019, but inclement weather stood in the way. Now the day is finally here three years later, and they have come with coolers and fold-up chairs in hand, eager to see the beauty of Pensacola's beach and the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels. 

Just after 5 a.m., a steady flow of cars crossed the Pensacola Bay Bridge heading to the beach, but traffic was still moving. By 5:30, however, the Casino Beach and the Quietwater lots were already full, according to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, and the agonizing search for parking has already begun. By 6 a.m., Pensacola Beach was already packed with people and tents.

The Pensacola Beach Air Show dress rehearsal, including a handful of flight demonstrations and civilian aerobatic performances, begins at approximately 11 a.m. today, with the Blue Angels flying at 2 p.m.

'You have to be there':Veterans, visitors and locals flood Pensacola Beach to see Blues

'It never gets old':Spectators pack Pensacola Beach Friday for Blue Angels dress rehearsal show

At 2 p.m., look to the Gulf horizon as a famous C-130J aircraft, affectionately known as Fat Albert, followed by six signature blue and gold F-18 Super Hornets, make their way over Pensacola Beach.

For the next 50 minutes, spectators will get a glimpse of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels aeronautic maneuvers like the Diamond Dirty Loop, the Double Farvel, the Vertical Pitch, the Fleur-de-Lis, the Opposing Knife-Edge pass, and the crowd-favorite Sneak Pass. These are just a few of the mind-blowing displays of choreographed precision flying the Navy’s flight demonstration team has perfected over the past 75 years.

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Previously:Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Show 2022 schedule announced