Red Tide Photos & Update - June 18

Red tide is impacting many Pinellas County beaches. If you're not from the Tampa Bay Area, Pinellas County is the populus county of one million residents that includes world-nowned beaches known for their sugary white sand and crystal clear water.

A red tide bloom is creating a toxic environment along the Gulf Coast of Florida. The brownish color, above, is a red tide algal bloom near Madeira Beach, FL.

The tropical vacation spot, which host over 15 million vacationers every year, is under attack from karenia brevis, the dinoflagellate responsible for red tide. This single-celled organism feeds on nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus. The result of a karenia brevis algal bloom is a toxin that paralyzes and kills sealife from catfish to sea turtles to dolphins.

As of June 18th, it's mainly beaches in the central and northern part of the county that are experiencing the greatest red tide impacts. Here are photos and current conditions of Pinellas beaches, from north to south:

Clearwater Beach: experiencing red tide effects. Though, no highly concentrated bloom areas visible while observing with a drone.

Clearwater Beach: tractor and bulldozer being used to clear dead fish off of the beach.

Indian Rocks Beach: On June 11th, Indian rocks Beach had the worst conditions in Pinellas County. The immediate coastline appears to be in slightly better shape today, but you can still see some highly concentrated areas of brownish water (aka red tide) just offshore.

Redington Shores: experiencing red tide effects. Though, no highly concentrated bloom areas visible while observing with a drone.

Madeira Beach: had some of the worst red tide conditions seen while canvassing Pinellas beaches this afternoon. In the photo you can see dark brown patches. These are medium to highly concentrated areas of karenia brevis. The jet skiers that are entering this area likely experienced respiratory issues after disturbing the algae bloom.

Madeira Beach

Madeira Beach: close-up of a red tide bloom

Treasure Island: experiencing minor red tide effects. Though, no major red tide bloom visible immediately offshore of Treasure Island. If you look North toward Madeira Beach you can see some brown patches of water representing a toxic algae bloom.

St. Pete Beach & Pass-A-Grille: A report of minor respiratory irritation, but from an aerial perspective the water actually appears to be in decent shape. No visible patch of highly concentrated red tide in the St. Pete Beach area. Based on a walk on the beach and aerial observation, I would feel safe going for a swim (when this photo was taken). I personally, would avoid going in the water in other areas north of St Pete Beach, especially Madeira Beach at the moment.

Shell Key: water appears to be healthy. No major red tide discoloration visible.

Shell Key: Manatee out for an afternoon stroll, possibly avoiding the algae bloom to the north.

As far as the outlook for the rest of the summer, we'll have to continue to monitor. Typically, the most likely time to see a red tide algae bloom is during the late summer and early fall when the Sun angle is the highest and water temperatures are warm. But, this year is not typical as there was a large nutrient-rich wastewater discharge during the late spring from the Piney Point phosphate plant. It's possible that the added nutrients could be playing a role in the current red tide bloom in Tampa Bay and along the Gulf Coast.