Seaweed on Perfect Day

[jbmwistex]

We are sailing to the Bahamas this weekend. Wondering if Perfect Day beach has alot of the smelly seaweed that is plaguing the Florida beaches now. 

[poocher]

Thought the seaweed was still out in the Atlantic?  It’s hit Florida beaches already?

[ticketsunlimited]

34 minutes ago, jbmwistex said:

We are sailing to the Bahamas this weekend. Wondering if Perfect Day beach has alot of the smelly seaweed that is plaguing the Florida beaches now. 

Let me know what you find.  Maybe Ill pack a rake.

[SilkySal]

Here's the latest:

 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/seaweed-sargassum-florida-caribbean-scn/index.html

 

 

[RedIguana]

5 minutes ago, poocher said:

Thought the seaweed was still out in the Atlantic?  It’s hit Florida beaches already?

I think key west and the gulf side had some come in a week or so back. Not related to the mega-blob coming that is in the news. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

why not ask these people? They were there on Monday.

 

[Ret MP]

2 minutes ago, poocher said:

Thought the seaweed was still out in the Atlantic?  It’s hit Florida beaches already?

This is a live webcam from Miami, the seaweed is there and usually is:

https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/plan-your-trip/miami-webcams

[Ret MP]

I honestly don't get the big deal being made of Seaweed.  The resorts and big tourist venues/locations will remove the seaweed, as needed.  I grew up in Dania, FL and seaweed was a fact of life.  Just go and enjoy your vacation, it's no big deal.  If the resort or destination doesn't remove the seaweed, I wouldn't go back.  My older brother and I treated seaweed like we did pillow fights.  We just made sure that there wasn't any Man-O-War in the seaweed.  

[AMCJavelin]

We were at Coco Cay March 5th and there was a small amount of seaweed at the edge of beach by the water,  but they had staff out raking it up.  It was all gone in a short amount of time and no smell at all.

[Sunboater]

Can I trade some snow for some seaweed?😉

[NoShoes2]

32 minutes ago, Sunboater said:

Can I trade some snow for some seaweed?😉

 

Amen!

 

[time4u2go]

Lol I like how people refer to Perfect Day as though it was actually the name of a place. 

[Orsino]

I just left coco cay two hours ago and this thread is the first I’m hearing of seaweed. We had a great day and no smells or seaweed on the beach (south beach, I didn’t go anywhere else). 

[roupa]

The seaweed/sargassum issue is real.  Hopefully not to the point of affecting cruise destinations, but if it does, prepare for a dry,scratchy throat and cough.  And you won’t want to walk thru it !!
Experienced it a few years back when FtMyers Beach was covered with the stuff(red tide but like sargassum).  Dead fish everywhere, and yucky smell.  No coughing as close as a few hundred yards from the beach.  Environmental “issues” prevented removal until it piled up disgustingly.  Some resorts tried to bury it but to no avail as “ Mother Nature “ uncovered it!    Good luck cruisers… and to me who will be cruising in April!

[RJ257]

4 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I honestly don't get the big deal being made of Seaweed.  The resorts and big tourist venues/locations will remove the seaweed, as needed.  I grew up in Dania, FL and seaweed was a fact of life.  Just go and enjoy your vacation, it's no big deal.  If the resort or destination doesn't remove the seaweed, I wouldn't go back.  My older brother and I treated seaweed like we did pillow fights.  We just made sure that there wasn't any Man-O-War in the seaweed.  

Times have changed. I live in south Florida and have witnessed the change over many years. In many places massive amounts cover the beach. It smells terrible and causes health problems in some people. You cant just rake this up by hand. Its becomes an every day event that can last months. Its hard to dispose of also. Some years its not too much others its a lot. Depends on your location and the currents. So far as of two days ago its not in West Palm Beach.

[Ret MP]

21 minutes ago, RJ257 said:

Times have changed. I live in south Florida and have witnessed the change over many years. In many places massive amounts cover the beach. It smells terrible and causes health problems in some people. You cant just rake this up by hand. Its becomes an every day event that can last months. Its hard to dispose of also. Some years its not too much others its a lot. Depends on your location and the currents. So far as of two days ago its not in West Palm Beach.

Sargassum has been declared an essential fish habitat and shelter for sea life.   So, there is a touchy balance that has to be made as far as eradicating it.  It is very beneficial to aquatic life.  Sargassum does not provide a serious health problem to humans UNLESS IT IS LEFT TO DECAY ON BEACHES.  And that doesn't usually begin until after it's been on the beach for at least 2 days.  My comment is related to "tourist venues" which should be willing and able to remove any amount of Sargassum from their beach.  I'm not talking about you or me hand-raking it.   

 

As a former avid Dolphin (the Mahi Mahi type) fisher, we loved finding the seaweed lines as that's where the Dolphins were. 

 

Sargassum is cyclical, like the climate.  Scarce for some periods and abundant for other times. There will be records broken both good and bad.  I literally grew up on the Dania beach and seaweed wasn't something we concerned ourselves with.  And the cities didn't have the heavy equipment to remove it, back then.  It was just left to decay or be pulled back into the ocean and sank as food for the sea life.  BTW, Sargassum is a source for covering sea turtle eggs and offered some sort of protection.  

 

I'm not saying Sargassum is good, I'm not saying it's bad.  I'm only saying that it isn't and should not be of concern, at least not to the level of canceling a vacation/cruise.  Let's let the tourist establishments worry about it and not go where they don't/can't or where no civilization exists.  

 

 

 

 

[RJ257]

30 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Sargassum has been declared an essential fish habitat and shelter for sea life.   So, there is a touchy balance that has to be made as far as eradicating it.  It is very beneficial to aquatic life.  Sargassum does not provide a serious health problem to humans UNLESS IT IS LEFT TO DECAY ON BEACHES.  And that doesn't usually begin until after it's been on the beach for at least 2 days.  My comment is related to "tourist venues" which should be willing and able to remove any amount of Sargassum from their beach.  I'm not talking about you or me hand-raking it.   

 

As a former avid Dolphin (the Mahi Mahi type) fisher, we loved finding the seaweed lines as that's where the Dolphins were. 

 

Sargassum is cyclical, like the climate.  Scarce for some periods and abundant for other times. There will be records broken both good and bad.  I literally grew up on the Dania beach and seaweed wasn't something we concerned ourselves with.  And the cities didn't have the heavy equipment to remove it, back then.  It was just left to decay or be pulled back into the ocean and sank as food for the sea life.  BTW, Sargassum is a source for covering sea turtle eggs and offered some sort of protection.  

 

I'm not saying Sargassum is good, I'm not saying it's bad.  I'm only saying that it isn't and should not be of concern, at least not to the level of canceling a vacation/cruise.  Let's let the tourist establishments worry about it and not go where they don't/can't or where no civilization exists.  

 

 

 

 

Thank you for posting the information. Many people are not aware of sargassum benefits . I have lived in south Florida for 45+ years with two biologists/scientists in the family so I am aware of the benefits provided to aquatic life especially turtles. I also fish and appreciate the weed lines! 
 

Nevertheless the sargassum is becoming more of a beach type problem in some areas . No doubt it’s a climatic issue. Local communities and especially tourist establishments from Florida and the Caribbean have to deal with more cleanup from time to time. New methods and more equipment are being used for cleanup. I agree one should not cancel vacations /cruises. 
 

 

[Toddcan]

Was there yesterday.   No seaweed 

[TequilaJane]

23 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I honestly don't get the big deal being made of Seaweed.  The resorts and big tourist venues/locations will remove the seaweed, as needed.  I grew up in Dania, FL and seaweed was a fact of life.  Just go and enjoy your vacation, it's no big deal.  If the resort or destination doesn't remove the seaweed, I wouldn't go back.  My older brother and I treated seaweed like we did pillow fights.  We just made sure that there wasn't any Man-O-War in the seaweed.  

Its not a big deal until in is. It has been getting worse over the years and coming earlier and staying longer.

[Ret MP]

2 minutes ago, TequilaJane said:

Its not a big deal until in is. It has been getting worse over the years and coming earlier and staying longer.

An ungroomed beach, for sure.  That didn't just happen overnight.  Misleading photo.  As I stated, if the beach at a tourist venue is ungroomed, don't go back.  Grooming should be an ongoing activity, not just once a week, day activity, it should be done, "as needed".  This is far too late.  I don't think that is a picture of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale beach, do you?   

[ssb]

5 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

An ungroomed beach, for sure.  That didn't just happen overnight.  Misleading photo.  As I stated, if the beach at a tourist venue is ungroomed, don't go back.  Grooming should be an ongoing activity, not just once a week, day activity, it should be done, "as needed".  This is far too late.  I don't think that is a picture of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale beach, do you?   

Yes that can happen over night

depending on the size of the cover .

 

[Ret MP]

17 minutes ago, ssb said:

Yes that can happen over night

depending on the size of the cover .

 

THAT didn't happen overnight!  Zoom in on the picture, and look at the right at the palm line.  You can see that there is a distinct line of grayish color seaweed and rust-colored seaweed.  The grayish seaweed is decaying.  Something that takes several days to accomplish.  Therefore, this picture is misleading if its intent is to show that a well-groomed beach, at a tourist venue, has been inundated with seaweed.  Grooming of a beach if done properly is a continuous process, not a once-a-week or day activity.  It is done as needed.  This is obviously not a tourist venue, if so, it shouldn't be.  AND, I didn't say that that couldn't happen anywhere, just not at a well-groomed beach in a well-managed tourist venue, and if it does, don't go back.  

Edited March 17, 2023 by Ret MP

[ssb]

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

THAT didn't happen overnight!  Zoom in on the picture, and look at the right at the palm line.  You can see that there is a distinct line of grayish color seaweed and rust-colored seaweed.  The grayish seaweed is decaying.  Something that takes several days to accomplish.  Therefore, this picture is misleading if its intent is to show that a well-groomed beach, at a tourist venue, has been inundated with seaweed.  Grooming of a beach if done properly is a continuous process, not a once-a-week or day activity.  It is done as needed.  This is obviously not a tourist venue, if so, it shouldn't be.  AND, I didn't say that that couldn't happen anywhere, just not at a well-groomed beach in a well-managed tourist venue, and if it does, don't go back.  

We live in Galveston and traveled The Caribbean , GulfCoast and Atlantic. We have witnessed first hand the massive floating pods from Africa in the Atlantic and all over these destinations. Size of pods and Mother Nature dictate the coverage . These can be massive like the one pod presently floating in the Atlantic . . It COULD will cover a beach completely , an entire island or even the souther Gulf  shores and eastern Caribbean shores for many miles depending on the relatively and circumstances of the event. 

Edited March 17, 2023 by ssb

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, ssb said:

We live in Galveston and traveled The Caribbean , GulfCoast and Atlantic. We have witnessed first hand the massive floating pods from Africa in the Atlantic and all over these destinations. Size of pods and Mother Nature dictate the coverage . These can be massive like the one pod presently floating in the Atlantic . . It COULD will cover a beach completely , an entire island or even the souther Gulf  shores and eastern Caribbean shores for many miles depending on the relatively and circumstances of the event. 

I don't disagree with you.  However, that has nothing to do with my premise.  

[ssb]

1 minute ago, Ret MP said:

I don't disagree with you.  However, that has nothing to do with my premise.  

My premise is a  blob or pod two thousand miles long, around, deep or what ever can cover a lot of beach in one day or a few days.