Turn of the Tide

Red tide (almost) spoils the fun at local beaches

By Paulette Perhach

Local surfers have been red-eyed and coughing, which wouldn’t necessarily be news, except that these symptoms were caused by a red tide that hung around almost entirely through October.

It began on Sept. 27, when the tide rounded the tip of Florida on the Gulf Stream and headed our way, according to a Fish and Wildlife Research Institute spokesman.

Surfer message boards sprouted threads about the conditions.

“My eyes were like stop light red when I got out,” said one surfer on the Surf Station’s on-line boards.

Another surfer wrote: “Throat felt like I just ate 5 atomic bomb candys, nose is spilling out snot, and my eyes were burning like fire. Other than that, it was a good day.”

Debates popped up about the origins of the tide, with supposed causes ranging from pollution to the government’s dumping of toxic waste.

“Red Tide is due to the fact that the Kool Aid Guy was buried at sea,” surmised one surfer. “All his packets of unused Kool Aid were buried with him and when the sea currents increase we see the results of the churning of the Kool Aid.”

The tide is actually an oceanic population boom of algae called Karenia brevis, according to the FWRI. The discoloration of the water they produce can be redish, greenish, brownish, and even purplish. The algae produces neurotoxins that can affect the central nervous system of fish, hence the dead fish scattered along local beaches.

During a red tide, it’s the wind blowing the toxic aerosol of the algae that causes coughing, sneezing and tearing in humans.

The peppered air kept crowds away from restaurants and bars along A1A. From the order window of Stir It Up, worker Sarah Peters said few people have been in the mood to sip shakes on the restaurant’s porch this month.

“We’ve definitely lost business because of it,” she said. “Even from inside, it’s bad.”

Fellow worker Rocko MacDonagh has been braving the waves despite the conditions.

He said it “kind of tickles the throat, irritates the eyes. It’s like a sneezy allergy feeling. And it tastes – I’ve never tasted battery acid before – but it almost has a metallic taste.”

According to the FWRI, it is safe to swim in a red tide, unless you’re someone with especially sensitive skin. However, it’s not a good idea to swim among dead fish, as they can be associated with harmful bacteria. Plus, it’s just plain gross.