Blog The Beach

Siesta Key Beach had signs posted today (August 1, 2008) warning bathers not to go into the water because of high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. In laymans terms, it means that a lot of poop is in the water. Why now?

Well, dogs and cats poop on the lawn, then it rains and washes the germs into the waterways and into the Gulf. Poorly maintained septic systems also contribute. There have been heavy rains lately, resulting in increased runoff from the land. Apparently there is no way to measure how much each “poop factor” contributes, but we can measure the resulting bacteria level increase in the Gulf.

This happened not too long ago, when there were large amounts of red drift algae on the area beaches. It was speculated that increased bird activity (resulting in more bird do-do) may have caused the high levels of bacteria.

Fortunately this type of beach closing is very uncommon and usually only lasts for a day or two.

It remains to be seen whether Siesta Beach will reopen for the weekend.

Update: As of Sunday, August 3rd, 2008, Siesta Beach has re-opened the water for swimming. Bacteria levels have fallen to acceptable levels.

See beach water quality test results for Sarasota County.

Get up-to-the-minute beach condition reports for Southwest Florida Beaches. (very good service)

Read an article about the Siesta Key beach closing in the Herald Tribune.

To be clear: The beach itself is open (you can go lay in the sun and walk the beach). But you should not go in the water until the all-clear is given.

As a side note, there have been fish kills in parts Tampa Bay along the Courtney Campbell Causewayin the last day or so. Scientists believe an algal bloom is responsible. This may have been brought on by high temperatures and cloudy weather, but is expected to dissipate soon.

Ahh! Summertime in Florida.

The Southeast Regional Lifeguard Competition was held at Siesta Key Public Beach on July 14 and 15, 2008. I dropped by on Tuesday afternoon in time for the surf boat race and a foot relay race. I wish I’d been able to come down earlier, but the weather wasn’t so great and I was hoping for a break in the clouds and rain later in the afternoon. The opposite happened, but I still managed to take some photos.

Check out my photos of the Southeast Regional Lifeguard Competition 2008.

If you see a photo of yourself or of a friend and would like a copy, I’ll be happy to email the digital image to you. Contact me by email at “beachhunter [at] beachhunter.net”   ( replace [at] with @ )

The lifeguards were in excellent form and were obviously enjoying the event, which I expect is a great venue for sharing techniques and knowledge. Lifeguarding is a very underestimated and under-appreciated profession. The safest beach to swim at is one with lifeguards, and the statistics prove it.

I’m looking forward to next year’s event.

And thanks to my friend Curtis Mcfee, a dedicated and long-time Sarasota and Manatee County lifeguard, for letting me know about this great event.