Dive reports with beach/weather conditions

[Insta-Gator]

https://www.news-press.com/story/ne...s-sarasota-whale-shark-sea-turtles/841100002/

This red tide outbreak started in October and is the longest on record since 2006, the year after several hurricanes impacted Florida.

Hurricane Irma hit the region this past September, stirring up nutrients in the Everglades drainage system, which includes Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River.

Nutrients feed all types of algae, and with summer conditions expected for the next three months, this bloom might not go away until 2019.

 

[2TH DIVR]

7/30/18
Service Club
Red tide was pretty strong
Vis was about 6"
Got out to about 19' and called the dive.

 

[divindiva69]

 

[Insta-Gator]

@divindiva69 does winter diving in the Venice area suck? We hope to be living there within the next to 12 to 18 months. Having a non-toxic beach would be nice.

 

[divindiva69]

@divindiva69 does winter diving in the Venice area suck? We hope to be living there within the next to 12 to 18 months. Having a non-toxic beach would be nice.

It used to be nice. Cold but nice, clear, lots of fish. We have had red tide bouts before but never this bad that I can remember. And if this is true from our Congressman, it may be years before it gets better. It is disgusting that we cannot dive, swim or even breathe without smelling/ swimming withdead fish. I live at least 2 miles away from Venice Beach and can smell it from here.

“Congressman Rooney wrote that repairs to the Hoover Dike at Lake O will not be completed at the earliest until 2022-2023.”

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

Lake O and the Hoover dike have nothing to do with red tide (Karinia brevis). Red tide is caused by a phytoplankton while the discharge from Lake O is a blue green algae caused by excessive fertilizer runoff into Lake O. One has nothing to do with the other.

 

[gryan315]

Lake O and the Hoover dike have nothing to do with red tide (Karinia brevis). Red tide is caused by a phytoplankton while the discharge from Lake O is a blue green algae caused by excessive fertilizer runoff into Lake O. One has nothing to do with the other.

Except many experts now believe nutrient rich runoff plays a significant role in assisting k. brevis in expanding during a bloom's time inshore.

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

Gryan, I worked as a research biologist with Mote Marine lab, doing research and monitoring Karinia brevis on the west coast of Florida.
These are the scientific facts:
Red tide was reported by Hernando Desoto in the 16th century while exploring the west coast of Florida, so fertilizer runoff is NOT a factor.
Karinia brevis is always present in background quantities on the west coast of Florida.

We don't know what causes the K.brevis to explode into a red tide bloom, but we are pretty certain what doesn't.

Using the "Scientific Method" experimentation, we took water containing background quantities of K. brevis and manipulated their environment (light intensity, oxygen content, temperature, phosphate and nitrate levels) to try to induce a "bloom". None of these treatments individually or together was successful.

Bottom line: Runoff does not cause Red Tide blooms.
Pseudo-scientist locally would like you to believe these are caused by man made actions, so they can blame someone for it, and try to get the government to pay for their loss of income from tourism or use it as a campaign issue.

 

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

As a side note: I keep in touch with several fellow marine scientist and keep up with the scientific journals and have not read anything published in any of them that in any way establishes runoff as being a factor in causing a red tide bloom or contributing to it's growth.

 

[gryan315]

I'm sure we could debate this until our fingers bleed, but that's not the appropriate use of this thread for reporting dive conditions.