In July of this year the HGTV film crew for the show “Beach Hunters” followed the Harty family around for a three-day shoot while Cristina and Josh Harty looked for a home for them and their five kids. The episode featuring the Harty family will air Nov. 12.

JENNIE McKEON @JennieMnwfdn

NAVARRE BEACH — Moving to the beach is exciting for any family.

For the Harty family, moving to the beach also meant 15 minutes of fame.

In July of this year the HGTV film crew for the show “Beach Hunters” followed the Harty family around for a three-day shoot while Cristina and Josh Harty looked for a home for them and their five kids. The episode featuring the Harty family will air Nov. 12.

“It was such a cool experience,” said Cristina. “It was almost surreal. There was a 10-man crew following us around. One of the coolest moments was when they captured our family building sandcastles on the beach.”

The Harty family has lived in the Santa Rosa County area for about seven years. With the family of seven growing out of their old home, Cristina said she and her husband decided to head to the beach.

“We actually go to church in Destin, but we didn’t want the traffic and tourists,” Cristina said with a laugh. “We chose Navarre Beach because it’s more quiet, relaxing and peaceful. And we were happy to capture that for the show.”

Cristina and her military husband, Josh, were both raised in Minnesota and grew up around lakes. She said she wanted her children, who range in age from 3 to 12, to have the same kind of laid-back lifestyle on the beach.

“Some of my best memories are at the lake,” she said. “I want my kids to be able to have that kind of experience.”

The Hartys visited three homes for the show, one of which they decided to purchase. But Cristina is not spoiling the ending — you’ll have to tune in and see the chosen house. According to the episode’s write-up on the HGTV website, the family had a budget of $700,000 and priorities include a playroom for the kids and a private dock.

As for getting in front of the cameras, there was some trepidation from the kids at first. The younger ones “ate it up,” Cristina said and were showing off for the cameras doing cannonballs into the water. Cristina herself is a little more comfortable in front of cameras. As the owner of a finishing school, she’s been on TV before giving etiquette lessons on news programs including the Today Show.

“I’m looking forward to watching it,” Cristina said of her HGTV debut. “But I’m also a little nervous. You’re at the mercy of the producers. I didn’t even know what I was getting in to. It was a huge blessing that they chose our family. It was really humbling.”