What’s Up With The Brown Water At Pinellas Beaches?

Have you been to the beach lately and noticed that the water is looking a little brown at some beaches in Pinellas County?

Beachgoers have reported the discolorations at Madeira Beach, Redington Beach and Treasure Island.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission describes the water color issue as a result of sea sawdust. How have I never heard of this and what is it? Sounds like a byproduct of someone doing construction work near the ocean, right?

Sea sawdust's proper name is Trichodesmium. The blooms are so big they can be seen from space! It's unlike red tide, which can cause breathing problems for some people. So thankfully, it appears to be harmless to people and animals. The FWC describes Trichodesmium as follows: “Small blooms look like sawdust floating on the water surface, whereas larger blooms can look like oil slicks or foamy pollution. The amount of Trichodesmium on the surface may vary with time of day."

So while it's not pretty, it's not going to hurt you. I prefer to gaze out at or swim in a beautiful blue ocean, but the brown water will eventually turn back.

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So many beaches around the Tampa Bay area to enjoy.

Surprisingly, only one local beach (actually, only one Florida beach, too) earned a spot on the Travel + Leisure’s list of top 25 beaches in the United States.

But the Florida beach that made it on to the list is a beauty. Clearwater Beach came in at number 5.

The number one beach in the country, according to this list, is Poipu Beach in Kauai, Hawaii.

The factors taken into consideration included: Sand, wave activity, seclusion, parking ease, and the quantity of shaded trees. Clearwater Beach certainly has beautiful sand, some places where you can feel secluded, but not necessarily great parking options.

You can visit Travel and Leisure here to read the complete list.

Here are the top 5: