COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Brown algae is washing up on Cocoa Beach and swimmers and surfers are getting coated with it.
Locals say it’s worse than it’s been in a long time.
It’s visible in the surf, and Richard Widmyer was covered in it when he walked out of the water.
“This just from playing out here in the little bit of minimum surf that’s coming in from the tropical depression that just passed us. It’s pretty nasty,” said Widmyer.
Even though a lot of beachgoers called it disgusting, it’s not keeping people out of the water.
“It feels weird, like some fishes are crawling on your feet. And it’s just all over your body,” said Alex Dominguez, a tourist.
Experts said water sample testing has not indicated any danger and there are no warnings to stay out of the water.
But just the way it looks is enough to keep some people out of the water anyway.
“I don’t know. It just looks dirty to me. That’s why we try not to enter it. I think it looks contaminated,” said Vilmary Cavera, who lives in Orlando.
Experts had no indication of how the brown algae will linger.
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