Venice Beach Renourishment

[Bastian76]

Went up to do some land based fossil hunting in Venice and heard the beach renourishment project had begun. Came back the next day and it looks like they started at Golden Beach.

I began diving Venice in 2007 and at the time the bottom was, for the most part, free of the silt (began seeing that around 2009, looked like it was just starting to clear up in 2014). I'm wondering what this will do to the quality of the fossil diving. Are there any board members familiar with what diving was like after previous renourishment projects in Venice. How long did it take to clear up? Did the bottom return to the way it was pre-renourishment? How was the diving (finding wise) in the months following the project?

The crew that is working on the beach portion of the dredge operation is definitely finding things. I watched them empty the beach pump screen. Lots of sand dollars and shells, and about 5 of the most pristine .50 caliber shells I've ever seen pulled out of Venice. Made me want to volunteer.

Venice Beach renourishment project underway - Sarasota News | Mysuncoast.com and ABC 7: Local News

 

[The Chairman]

These always have a negative impact on the reefs and marine life in the area. It might slow down fossil hunting, but the ecological impact is even worse.

 

[dkramer]

Things seemed to be just beginning to clear up since the last time & now, here we go again! I've been doing all of my diving at S.Brohard because of the poor viz to the north. I thought I was going to be able to move back north this summer but I guess not.

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

Maybe it's time to try RedRocks again?

 

[dkramer]

That's a possibility!

 

[Bastian76]

I'm not familiar with RedRocks. Is it another local fossil dive site?

 

[dkramer]

Not really. It's a small artificial reef off of Boca Grande.

 

[SOFDiver]

I first came to Venice in the mid 70s. At that time Venice beach was white sugar sand just like The northern gulf beaches. Every beach re nourishment has dumped gray course sand on the beach covering the white sand and all the fossils that used to emerge. In the 70s one could walk the beach and find 3-4 inch Megs. Silt does wash out of the course off shore sand, and does contribute to the mess on the bottom. Just my observation.

 

[ReefGuy]

I first came to Venice in the mid 70s. At that time Venice beach was white sugar sand just like The northern gulf beaches. Every beach re nourishment has dumped gray course sand on the beach covering the white sand and all the fossils that used to emerge. In the 70s one could walk the beach and find 3-4 inch Megs. Silt does wash out of the course off shore sand, and does contribute to the mess on the bottom. Just my observation.

It hasn't even been that longs since Venice beach was like that. It's only gotten ruined since the "renourishment". But if they didn't continually dump sand on Venice beach, they'd have nothing to dredge out of the intercoastal.

 

[Bastian76]

This is sounding as disappointing as I feared it would be. I hope productive beach dives are still a possibility after the project is completed. I believe April was when they anticipated it being finished, just prior to turtle season. I suspect finds in the 17'-20' range may be a thing of the past. Here's to hoping I'm wrong.