Red tide takes a siesta, in the nick of time

It had been pestering Siesta Key since October, and surged in late February and early March, but the island caught a break when red tide diminished substantially beginning the second weekend of March.

And that’s right when the spring breakers began to flood the beaches.

The timing was perfect for Dave Thorp, who with his family left behind freezing temperatures in Minneapolis for a March 11 arrival at Midnight Cove II. However, he almost took a detour.

“We read the internet chatter and looked at the Florida red tide water sample reading maps and almost changed plans the go to Key Largo – but we stuck it out. And we are glad we did,” said Thorp, who was looking forward to his third consecutive spring visit to Siesta. “When we arrived Saturday, there was no red tide at all, and it’s been perfect beach-going. The few dead fish that were washed up Saturday and Sunday were cleaned up overnight Sunday.”

Haley Heffern of Indianapolis also visits Siesta Key every March with her husband, Shawn. After arriving on March 11 as well, the expectant mother was bracing for what would be her first red tide experience.

“We heard it was bad a couple of weeks

By John Morton

ago, and we were a little worried, but we decided to come anyhow. All we are noticing is a bit of a smell, but nothing we can’t handle. And we are relieved to see that our complex where we’re staying has taken care of it,” she said, referring to the removal of any dead fish by staff at the Sarasota Surf & Racquet Club, where she stays. “There was no way we were going to cancel. Even if he had to stay by the pool, this beats what is going on back home.”

Now, on the heels of local water testing on both March 13 and 20 that showed little to no traces of red tide being present, it appears at least a reprieve is in place.

But things did seem dire for about a month. On Feb. 8, Sarasota County issued a red tide advisory for all 16 of its public beaches as conditions worsened. Testing by the Sarasota County Health Department showed Siesta and Turtle Beach were most often in the “low” category as far as the number of Karenia brevis cells present per a milliliter of water, within the range of 10 to 100. Minor respiratory irritation and minor fish kills are common at that stage.

Karenia brevis is the microscopic organism associated with red-tide algae blooms.

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A guide to red tide

• Call 1-941-BEACHES (941232-2437) to hear twice daily beach condition reports posted at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Mote Marine. Information includes red tide and other beach conditions at specific Gulf Coast beaches. Press #1 for Sarasota County and then press #2 for Siesta Beach or #60 for Turtle Beach.

• To see update red cell counts for Sarasota County beaches, visit Sarasota County Health Department’s Red Tide page at: sarasota.floridahealth. gov/programs-and- services/ our-gulf-env/water-quality/ red-tide.

• For a map of beaches where red tide is occurring, visit Mote Marine Laboratory’s Beach Conditions Reporting System at: visitbeaches.org

Island Chatter

TripAdvisor users: Siesta Beach is best on continental U.S.

Only a beach in Hawaii topped Siesta Key in TripAdvisor’s annual ranking of the best beaches in the U.S.

Reviews by users on the website resulted in Siesta Beach landing a No. 2 ranking, making it the top-ranked beach in continental America. That position was part of TripAdvisor’s announcement in late February of its Best of the Best Beaches for 2023 list, which is part of its annual Travelers’ Choice Awards.

Siesta Beach narrowly missed reaching the Top 10 list of best beaches in the world, coming in at No. 11.

Ka’anapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii was No. 1 on the U.S. list while Baia do Sancho in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, ranked No. 1 on the worldwide list.

Last year, TripAdvisor also named Siesta Beach No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 14 in the world. In 2021, Siesta was ranked No. 17 in the U.S. and was not ranked globally.

Other Florida beaches to make the Top 25 list are Henderson Beach State Park in Destin at No. 6, St. Augustine Beach at No. 13, St. Pete Beach at No. 14, Panama City Beach at No. 18, Pensacola Beach at No. 20, Sombrero Beach in Marathon at No. 22, and Clearwater Beach at No. 23.

That total of eight Florida beaches on the list matches the top number for any state, tied with Hawaii.