Red tide is gone from shores of SWFL, but for how long?
After a year of devastation and dead wildlife, red tide finally might be dissipating along Collier and Lee County shorelines.
"Our beaches are clear for the present — and maybe this weekend — but we don't want to say the coast is clear just yet." said Rick Bartleson, a research scientist with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's Marine Lab.
Naples Harbormaster Roger Jacobsen said favorable winds have helped clear up a bloom of a nontoxic diatom, called Cylindrotheca, that had turned the water a brownish color along the Naples coast.
"The dark algae is very slowly, but surely working its way out into the Gulf," Jacobsen said Friday. "If you look at the first 30 or 40 feet of water now, it's become clear. The eastern winds have been very beneficial for the last couple days."
On Friday, some beachgoers ventured back into the water for the first time since the murky water appeared this week, Jacobsen said.
More:When will SW Florida waters return to normal? Soon, scientists hope
And:Third species of algae is found blooming in SWFL waters
"I saw no dead marine life today," Jacobsen said. "I was on the Pier, I was at Lowdermilk Park and I saw no new dead fish at all. It was a great change, but we will see how long that lasts."
Matt Gemmell, of Naples, walked down Vanderbilt Beach on Friday evening and agreed with Jacobsen's assessment that conditions were improving at the beach.
"I was here probably four days ago and the water was completely brown and looked disgusting," Gemmell said. "Today, it's still kind of brown, but it's clearing up a little bit. I'm not having any respiratory issues, and there is very minimal dead sea life around today."
Bartleson's lab regularly tests area waters for Karenia brevis, the microorganism that causes red tide, and all of this week's samples near shore and inshore have shown none of the microorganisms.
"I'll take more samples this weekend offshore and see if we're jumping the gun," he said.
Bartleson thinks a growing area of low-oxygen water containing hydrogen sulfide has caused the decrease.
"There's a large-scale process that's going on with the anoxic, hypoxic water that's not conducive to red tide," he said. "And there's hydrogen sulfide that's not conducive to anything except a microbial life. ... So there's a lot of things working against the Karenia right now."
More:Collier County had fewer visitors in August, in part due to red tide
Response to red tide:Collier plans tourism marketing for when coast is clear
The red tide coincided with the worst toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) bloom in Lee County memory, ravaging wildlife, tourism and fishing — both recreational and commercial.
In its wake, Lee County mounted the biggest beach cleanup in its history, hauling off more than 2,000 tons of dead things from its shorelines.
For Jimmy Jensen, whose family owns both an Old Florida-style resort and marina on Captiva, the news was welcome. He said things have been looking good on the island recently and business finally was picking up again.
"It really feels great out here this weekend," Jensen said. "There's a wedding and a fishing tournament, and I've rented a couple (of cottages) to people who've just walked in. The water is still a little dark, but it's really clear off the dock, and you can see all the sheepshead and crabs."
Tony Lapi, president of the island's 'Tween Waters Inn, was delighted as well. A group that has been coming to the resort for decades is there this weekend, after worrying about red tide.
"They're very, very happy to see the positive news," Lapi said. "We're all real happy."
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which also samples the state's water for red tide, is scheduled to release an updated report mapping the bloom. As of Wednesday, its map indicated reduced concentrations, with none in Collier County and only two spots in Lee County with medium concentrations of the organism.
In case you missed it:What's turning SWFL's shores brown? Not red tide.