Red Tide problems. . .
Like all of you, we’ve been watching the many reports of the Red tide algae bloom on the west coast of Florida. Since the end of July, this toxic algae bloom has caused large fish kills and unsafe swimming conditions on many of the county beaches along the Florida west coast.
For those of you that may not know what the Red tide is or what causes it, we’ll give you the short version.
“Red tide” is commonly used to describe a higher- than- normal concentration of microscopic algae in the ocean waters.
The toxins from these algae blooms become airborne when stirred up by the wind and waves. This can cause eye irritation as well as respiratory issues and burning of the throat for many people just simply walking along the beach.
Oh, did I mention the smell of dead fish? OMG!!
Not just a few fish. . . TONS of them!!
That’s a west coast thing, right ?
The current Red tide began on the state’s west coast and gradually worked it’s way south. Recently, the Red tide has moved up the east coast and into our backyard along the beaches of Brevard County.
Not since 2002 have Brevard County beaches suffered from an algae bloom and fish kill of any significance.
Many of the Brevard beaches in the southern end of the county have begun to see the effects of the Red tide. Local officials, as well as the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation) have been monitoring the water conditions for high concentrations of toxins in the water.
Our Beach:
So. . . Jennifer and I do most of our beach-going on the north end of Cocoa Beach, about 1 mile south of Port Canaveral. We’ve been worried by TV footage of fish kills washing up on beaches just south of our local spot.
Happily, the last three weeks have shown NO signs of the Red tide near our favorite spot! Jennifer and I have gone to the shoreline every Saturday afternoon recently to checkout the conditions prior to our Sunday visits.
Our hope is that the coming cooler temperatures and changing wind patterns will help. Maybe that can begin to put an end to this algae bloom and allow the areas that are affected to recover.
Get out there!!
We would encourage anyone that is worried about local beach or boating conditions to get out there and enjoy! We’ve been doing alot of beachgoing lately, but make no mistake; Boating is still our favorite thing!!
There are a number of websites available that show the Red tide status of Florida beaches and interior waterways. By checking in advance, you can know before you go.
We like this Florida Fish and Wildlife site as it is updated almost daily: myfwc.com/redtidestatus
Jennifer and I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any input on Red tide or have been affected by it in your area, please leave us a comment. Also, please remember to subscribe below so we can notify you about our next post.
“See you on the water!”
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