Red tide looms off Southwest Florida coastline

Beware of the beach! Red tide is making its way towards Southwest Florida once again.

The Florida Department of Health in both Collier and Lee counties has issued alerts for several beaches.

The beaches listed include Barefoot Beach and Clam Pass in Collier County and Bowman’s Beach in Lee County.

It’s been business as usual on Sanibel, even with red tide confirmed to be about five miles out from the shore.

The red tide comes in patches, so WINK News reporter Maddie Herron went up and down the coasts of Sanibel and Captiva and found no fish kills or washed-up algae.

But with the bloom still looming out in the water, she spoke to an expert about what could come next: Red tide.

We’ve seen these types of blooms before up and down Southwest Florida’s beaches, and it’s once again creeping up the coast of Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties.

One Sanibel visitor, Jamie Longenbarger, said, “A little bit of coughing and a little bit of a different sensation, not quite like asthmatic, but you do feel it when you breathe, for sure.”

Dead, smelly fish and a sting in the air are some of the signs experts say to be aware of.

Dr. Mike Parsons, a professor of Marine Science at the Florida Gulf Coast University, told WINK News, “This is the time of year when we see red tide, so this is typical.”

A radar tracks hotspots of chlorophyll, and NOAA said it tested positive for red tide.

It shows high points, just over five miles off the shore of Bowmans Beach on Sanibel Island.

Even so, with no burning sensations or dead fish in sight, visitors said it has yet to ruin their beach day.

Michelle Nicholls said, “I think, if you can’t see it, or if it’s not close to shore, then I don’t have a problem. I’ll still go in. Still swim.”

“We’re good, not feeling anything like that right now,” said Wendy Parks.

There are seemingly no signs yet which is some good news experts think might stick around for those enjoying Sanibel and its sunsets.

“It looks like it’s just kind of moving back and forth when you look at the University of South Florida trajectories, and kind of moving. At the tide, maybe getting a little closer to Sanibel, maybe moving back down south. So right now, I would expect it to stay offshore,” said Dr. Parsons.

If you see a fish kill on Sanibel or anywhere on southwest Florida’s coasts, you can click here to report it online to FWC.

To see the Red Tide map data, click here.