'Unusual' off-white foam at Oz beaches leaves surfers ill as wildlife wash ashore

An Australian state closed two beaches after dead fish and an unusual off-white foam washed ashore while surfers reported feeling unwell, officials said yesterday.

A microalgal bloom created by unusual weather conditions was suspected to have sickened humans and marine life as well as creating the foam that has covered hundreds of meters of coastline, the South Australian environment protection authority said.

"It is very concerning," said the authority.

"It is unusual at this scale. At this time of year, when the weather conditions allow, we do occasionally get isolated blooms, but something of this scale is definitely a little bit unusual," it added.

Waitpinga Beach and neighboring Parsons Beach, both south of the South Australia state capital Adelaide, have been closed to the public in response to a "fish mortality event in the area," the Department for Environment and Water said.

Dozens of dead fish have reportedly been washed shore.

Surfers have been complaining since the weekend of getting sore eyes, sore throats and coughing after contact with the water.

"While we were out there, we started coughing," surfers said, adding that after posting his experience online, many others had reached out saying they had the same symptoms.

Marine scientists have taken water samples from the foam, which is a byproduct of the toxic organisms' decay, but it could take until the end of the week to identify the organism, authorities said.

A bloom of microalgae - microscopic, single-celled organisms - could have been caused by a recent extended period of hot and dry weather with little wind and low tides, authorities added.

Associated Press