Toxic ‘sea foam' kills animals and leaves surfers with breathing problems and blurred vision
Popular surf spots Waitpinga and neighbouring Parsons beach, some 80km south of Adelaide, were closed on Monday, the Department for Environment and Water said in a statement.
The yellowish foam spanning hundreds of metres is likely to be a microalgal bloom, a toxin-producing algae, fuelled by a recent extended period of hot and dry temperatures with little wind and low tides, they added.
Surfers reported experiencing blurred vision, itchy eyes, coughing and breathing difficulties after contact with the water.
Anthony Rowland said he became 'really raspy' after swimming in the water over the weekend. 'It was sort of like when you inhale a potent cleaning product, if you're cleaning a kitchen sink or something. It hit the back of my throat,' he said.
Mr Rowland described the residue as 'a really heavy, dense, yellow foam, with a fair bit of green, slimy, scummy stuff.'
'It is very concerning,' said South Australian Environment Protection Authority principal scientific officer, Sam Gaylard.
'It is unusual at this scale. At this time of year, when the weather conditions allow, we do occasionally get isolated blooms, but something of this scale is definitely a little bit unusual.'
A state environment department spokesperson said the beaches had been closed 'in response to a fish mortality event in the area.'
Pictures posted on social media showed dozens of dead octopus, sea dragons and fish washed up on the beaches.
Mr Gaylard said they were 'not sure how long this will last', saying there's a risk a small ocean swell starting on Sunday could generate more foam.
'We think that it is probably an irritant, so a phytoplankton with some spiky structure to it but we really want to identify what the species is to confirm that,' he added.
Mr Gaylard said that marine scientists took water samples from the foam on Monday, but it could take until the end of the week to identify the organism.
South Australia Health said there have been no reported hospitalisations linked to the incident.
The region has been experiencing drought conditions, with temperatures reaching a high of 39 degrees over the weekend.
Blooms of toxic algae occur around the world and can cause mass mortality of aquatic species, especially fish and shellfish.
The toxins can also affect water quality by blocking sunlight and depleting oxygen levels.
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