Local news

Discoloured water draws concerns of possible red tide off Ballito

No authority had confirmed a red tide at time of publication and beaches remain open.

A large area of purple water off the Ballito coast has prompted widespread discussion of a potentially harmful red tide moving in.

Red tide is a colloquial name for a harmful algal bloom, which can cause destruction to marine life and be dangerous to humans.

No authority had confirmed the phenomenon to be a red tide, or algal bloom, at the time of publication and KwaDukuza’s beaches remain open for now.

Further testing is currently underway.

The Oceans and Coastal Information Management System registered a high level of harmful algal bloom risk on the North Coast over the past week. Source: OCIMS.

“It’s very difficult to determine exactly what it is until the experts have finished their tests,” said KwaDukuza’s Marine Safety Manager, Steve Honeysett.

“I’ve been travelling up and down the coast and it doesn’t seem to be a thick mass, but we will know more as it comes closer to shore.”

“It’s possible that it has been caused by the sudden change from extremely warm to extremely cold water temperature over the past week.”

According to the government’s national Oceans and Coastal Information Management System (OCIMS), the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast has seen increased algal activity in the past week.

The OCIMS ‘Harmful Algal Bloom Risk‘ chart registered high bloom activity since February 1.

Residents are urged to exercise caution swimming near the discoloured water, or eating marine animals until such point that further concrete information is available.


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James Anderson

James has been at The North Coast Courier since 2020, covering sport, culture and municipal news. If he's not on his 10th cup of coffee trying to make deadline, you can probably find him watching any and all South African sport and the latest movie releases.
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