A pair of beaches are closed because of the foam. Photos: YouTube//Screenshot
Two Australian beaches are closed after a large amount of sea foam killed fish and sickened surfers.
According to reports, the foam, which came from a micro-algal bloom caused by the wild weather conditions in recent weeks, has covered hundreds of meters of beaches.
“It is very concerning,” South Australian Environment Protection Authority principal scientific officer Sam Gaylard told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “It is unusual at this scale. At this time of year, when the weather conditions allow, we do occasionally get isolated blooms, but something of this scale is definitely a little bit unusual.”
The closed areas are Waitpinga Beach and Parsons Beach, both of which are just south of Adelaide. Dozens of fish washing up dead prompted the beach closures, and surfers have been complaining of sore eyes and throats since the weekend.
“While we were out there, we started coughing,” Anthony Rowland, a local surfer, told the Associated Press. “Lots of people reached out – so many people have said they’ve had exactly the same symptoms.. In 40 years of surfing, I’ve never experienced anything like this at all.”
Researchers have taken samples from the affected areas, but it could take a few days before they’ve pinpointed exactly what organism(s) is causing the problems.
“At the moment,” Gaylard said, “we’re not sure how long this will last.”
