Grotesque foam all over Ft Wetherill

[ScubaSarus]

We dove Ft Wetherill today. There was grotesque foam all over the coves with thick particulate matter embedded in it in the form of dark brown grainy swirls. The diver school there said it was even worse yesterday and you could actually smell a stench coming from it and the water in general. Vis was 6 - 12 inches. We mangaed to find some managable vis deep below the cliffs at 40 ft to do some good video footage.

In 6 years of diving there, this is a first time encountering it for me. Does anyone know what causes this soupy foam.

Water temps 46-48 F.

 

[ScubaSarus]

"Manytimes the starting of recirculation begins aerobic breakdown of organics - organic solids as they oxidized create a protein-based foam. This same effect is seen at the ocean when you get brown foam coming in with the tide - this is the breakdown of organic solids."

Can somone please!!! tell me what types of organic solids this guy is talking about ?

Langmuir streaks?

The final last days of the algae ?

Red tide ?

Someone took a dump in the ocean ?

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Wouldnt surprise me if it was sewage...

yummy...

 

[Diesel298]

hey ya gotta go ya gotta go

 

[bikeflip22]

Where is gidds when you need her!

 

[ScubaSarus]

We think we may have swallowed some of this foam since we did a long surface snorkle. We definitly got some water in our mouths. Whats the incubation period for something like this if it was sewage?

We need an oceanographer. Is there an oceanographer in the room, we need an oceanographer!!!!!

I'm may be getting a stomach ache now ? I'm feeling kinda wooozy. I better go get me another drink something stronger than wine this time. "Ice cubes clinking"!!

 

[RIOceanographer]

It wasn't sewage.... it was almost certainly phytoplankton. By the sound of it was probably a bloom of something called Phaeocystis. Don't worry, you'll live.

 

[Diesel298]

It wasn't sewage.... it was almost certainly phytoplankton. By the sound of it was probably a bloom of something called Phaeocystis. Don't worry, you'll live.

i knew he would know

 

[RIOceanographer]

And FYI here is what it a foam from phaeocystis looks like

http://www.natuurinformatie.nl//sites/ecomare.devleet/contents/i000238/HQFFF268.JPG

 

[Mr.X]

We think we may have swallowed some of this foam since we did a long surface snorkle. We definitly got some water in our mouths. Whats the incubation period for something like this if it was sewage?

We need an oceanographer. Is there an oceanographer in the room, we need an oceanographer!!!!!

I'm may be getting a stomach ache now ? I'm feeling kinda wooozy. I better go get me another drink something stronger than wine this time. "Ice cubes clinking"!!

If you have a generally healty immune system I wouldn't worry about it too much. As a diver going in this time of the year I would assume that to be the case. As the oceanographer mentioned it could be a bloom.

If you're really scheeved out I would collect a sample and have it analyzed for whatever critters are inhabiting the foam. When I was in marine bio. school it was usually a collection of marine bloom organisms - algae, dinoflagellates etc.

BTW, beer is a good cure for everything!!!