Christmas cold weather could alleviate red tide along Pinellas beaches

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - The beach was packed with people watching the sunset Monday evening, despite high levels of red tide being detected off the coast.

The water is clear between Madeira Beach and Clearwater, but Treasure Island to Fort De Soto have medium to high concentrations of Karenia brevis, or red tide, according to the latest data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

People enjoying the beaches along Pinellas County while red tide lingers offshore.

However, beachgoers say they didn’t even notice the toxic algae blooms.

"It was a little cold at first, but I dove in, I opened my eyes and came right back up," said Lelia Cryor, who is visiting from Atlanta.

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When high levels of red tide are detected, it can kill marine life and cause beachgoers to have respiratory issues like coughing or having an itchy throat.

"I had zero experiences with anything like that in the ocean, it seemed normal to me today. No dead fish, clear, beautiful day," said Mel Loncaric, who was having a beach day with his family.

Experts said there are two things helping make for a good beach day despite having red tide off the coast: the blooms are far enough out into the Gulf and the wind is offshore.

"If you’ve got a wind that’s blowing offshore, which is the case that we’ve had today and for the last several days, it’s going to blow that red tide – especially the kind of impacts of red tide that affect your respiratory system – offshore and you’re really not going to smell it or see it," said J.P. Brooker, the director of Florida Conservation at the Ocean Conservancy in St. Petersburg. "It’s also going to keep the fish offshore. If they’re dying, experiencing fish kills, they’re not going to wash up on the beach."

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When the water temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s hard for Karenia brevis to survive, Brooker explained.

So, the cold temperatures forecasted for Christmas could bring down the water temperature in the Gulf, which would help get rid of the toxic algae blooms off of our coast.