Sanibel Island - Red Tide Concern
 

We are planning a trip with our 3 year old in May and have been reseaching Sanibel Island. We are looking for a low key beach vacation and thought the island offered a lot of what we were looking for. Then I started reading about red tide, and from what I understand they are completely unpredictable in that there is not a season where they occur more often. But if there happens to be an outbreak your beach vacation will certainly be effected. I am especially concerned since I will be 6 months pregnant as well. I wondering if this is a common enough occurance that I should consider other destinations in Fl not on the west coast. Any advise would be helpful.

Say you've got a 2-5% chance of encountering red tide ... you'll have to decide what level of risk you're willing to take.

No one can decide for you.

Anyone know what the actual risk is?

Is there really no variation in the likelihood between seasons?

I was on Sanibel a year and a half ago. No one alerted me to the red tide, but it was awful. A trip that was planned for 2 weeks turned into 5 miserable days, I literally thought I was going to die.
I went again this past October with grandkids but this time made sure all was safe. Check out the link below for updated status.
http://floridamarine.org/features/vi...sp?id=9670#Rpt

It is my understanding that Red Tide on the Florida Gulf Coast is more likely, and has been worse in Summer/warm weather. While it won't kill you, the respiratory problems ... hacking cough from tickling throat, smothering sensation, running eyes ... can make you miserable, and ruin your trip. No one can tell you for sure that it will not be there in Sanibel in May. If I were going to an area where it *might* be, I would only plan to stay in a resort hotel, where I could cancel within a couple days of the trip if I had to. Many people are turning to the Panhandle beaches due to the problems on the Gulf Coast the last couple of years, in particular.

Hi, Melissap: As stated above, only you can decide if you are prepeared to bear the risk of an unpredicable event. You can always head to the South East coast of Florida. No red tide there! Singer Island is very nice. Check TUG2.net for a condo rental @ Marriott Ocean Pointe....kids' playground, 3 main pools plus a kids' pool, gorgeous beach. Ft. Lauderdale is great too... Lago Mar(lagomar.com)....2 pools, nice kids' playground for your 3 yo. Or, for a really basic but nice beach front location Delray Beach's Wright-by-the Sea(wbtsea.com) I have stayed at all 3 & like them. The are very different from each other. What they all have in common is a wonderufl beachfront location. And, close, easy air access...West Palm for Singer Island & Ft. Luaderdale for the other 2.

Sanibel is one of our favorite places in the world. We've visited many times and plan to go back. During our last visit however (July 2006) we encountered a mild red tide. We were miserable (coughing, sore throat, itchy eyes, sneezing) about half the week. Every other person on the beach seemed to be doing the same. If you stay away from the beach you're fine but what's the point of that? It is usually pretty easy to get a condo or hotel room there in May. Why don't you consider waiting until a couple weeks before and check the current situation before you lock in anything? Best wishes!

You can't predict it just like you can't predict a hurricane. You just know when they are more prevalent (sp?). Stay at a hotel where there is a pool, just in case you have a couple days where you can't go to the beach. I wouldn't rule out a whole vacation though because "the Possibility" of red tide.

Your 3yr old will love Sanibel and the beautiful beach.

I suggest you go to the tripadvisor.com "Sanibel FL forum" and read what the current reports are on Sanibel, and what it's been like recently. I think you'll make plans to go elsewhere ... :(

We were just there in late September- the beaches were just flat out gross. Tons of dead fish (one was probably 3 feet long and a foot thick- the biggest dead fish I've ever seen on a beach), tons and tons of rotting sea grass, and so many shells you could not walk on the beach without surf shoes/water socks. I don't think it was red tide, but most of the beaches were closed because of bacterial contamination.

All of that said, the part that will be constant is that the beach always has a pretty long line of broken shells, and walking with your feet just in the water means walking in about half sand and half broken shells- and there's not a lot to do there besides the beach for a 3 year old.

We enjoyed the food, but there's no way we would stay there again. The beach on Captiva looked nice, but a little bit rough.

<<Many people are turning to the Panhandle beaches due to the problems on the Gulf Coast the last couple of years, in particular.>>

Isn't the Panhandle also on the Gulf of Mexico, hence also 'The Gulf Coast'?!

We have been to Sanibel, mostly in late spring, about 10 times, and the red tide was only there once. We did not swim in it, and did not suffer any ill effects by shelling on the edge of the water and walking on the beach. Make sure the place you are going has a decent pool. The island is very low-key as you say, but with any natural habitat there is a chance of "a problem".

For us, the main draw is that we like the Gulf much more than the ocean. I grew up swimming in the ocean (much further north) and do not like rough waves. Personally the kids did not like the Gulf as much as the pools at the resort we stayed at.

I live in Naples -- 10 blocks from the beach. When red tide is in full bloom, I know it when I step out the door in the morning. When there is a minor outbreak, I have to get within a half block of the beach to start my coughing.
The idea of making sure your beach front hotel has a pool in case of an outbreak of red tide is kind of funny. Frankly, I wouldn't be spending any time at the pool along the beach during red tide. I'd be coughing my head off -- that's how it affects me.

Again, the outbreaks do NOT occur often, and it's up to you how much risk to take that you'll happen to be here during one, but yes -- it is a problem.

To take the guesswork out of it, here is a govt page with red tide update by county. Sanibel is in Lee County.

Now there is even a Red Tide Hotline you can call for updates.

http://www.floridamarine.org/feature...e.asp?id=12373

Oops! Didn't realize rdeeba gave virtually the same link earlier. Sorry rdeeba!

"I'd be coughing my head off -- that's how it affects me."

Are different people more or less sensitive to it, or is it that the blooms are more or less severe (and wax and wane)? It was yucky to look at (especially with dead fish around), but as long as we didn't go in the water it was okay. Also maybe depends on how the wind is blowing?

This site is interesting as well:
http://www.start1.com/news/default.aspx

They are "waiting" for red tide to try different mitigation techniques.

Swaying_Palms, technically, you are correct about it all being the Gulf, Panhandle included. :)

rhrd, Red Tide does affect people differently ... some people will react violently, some with just a little tickle.

Telling someone to stay where's there a pool (in case of Red Tide or red algae) .... well, I won't pay Sanibel prices to swim in a pool (I can do that at home). Why be on a beautiful beach if it's littered with dead fish, etc., and you can't breathe when you walk on it? If you read the Sanibel forum on tripadvisor.com, as I mentioned above, you'll see many who were Sanibel devotees changing their vacation destination after years of going there. :(

From what I understand, Sanibel has been experiencing horrible Red Algae which is a little bit different from Red Tide. Our family has been visiting Sanibel for the past 6 or 7 years now and we love Sanibel. BUT...I too have been reading of all of the Red Algae that is covering the beaches. This has been occuring quiet regularly for the past year. Some say it is a result of flushing/dumping from Lake Okeechobee. I do not know if that is true but it is what I am reading. We have had several friends that have visited Sanibel over the past year and everyone of them said at one point during the trip there were mounds and mounds of stinky algae all over the beach. This unfortunetly has finalized our decision to vacation elsewhere this year. I do hope that some type of action is taken to clean up the gulf. Sanibel is a beautiful wonderful vacation spot.

I had no idea that Red Algae is any different from Red Tide. Red Tide is the name given to outbreaks of reddish algae growing in the water which give off certain toxins.

I am not exactly sure what the difference is but from what I understand, Red Tide is more of a health concern and the Red Algae, actually it is called Red Drift Algae, is more of a nuisance. If you Google "red drift algae Sanibel" several articles come up. The most recent was at www.news-press.com. There is actually a picture of the mounds of algae washed up on one of the beaches on Sanibel. Hope this helps a little.

Very informative and interesting thread. Thanks to all who have contributed. I am seriously reconsidering the area now.

A few comments and questions:

1. Thank you very much elsiemoo for suggesting the Trip Advisor Sanibel forum. Forgive the cliche but it was a real eye-opener. For those who haven't seen it, a number of long-time Sanibel and/or Captiva devotees have regretfully decided to go elsewhere because of how bad the Red Tide and Red Algae problem has become. There are also links to sites with much more information, including a description of the difference between Red Tide and Red Algae and articles about various clean-up and prevention efforts.

The vivid descriptions of her newfound paradise by the former Sanibel devotee who didn't want to disclose the new location almost had me drooling!

2. I had the same sentiments and thoughts which were expressed by others regarding the seeming absurdity of the idea that being just steps away from the beach one could somehow avoid being affected by not actually setting foot on the beach itself.

And the seeming absurdity of the very idea of _planning_ to vacation in such a place and avoid the beach. Though, on second thought, given the wildlife preserves there, perhaps the second idea in and of itself isn't so crazy after all.

3. My understanding is that _anywhere_ along the Gulf Coast is subject to these risks but that Sanibel , Captiva and Ft. Myers seem to be among the worse lately. Is this correct?

4. Regarding "The Panhandle" vs. "The Gulf Coast": Do I then understand correctly that even though the Panhandle is _technically_ on the Gulf Coast, when people refer simply to the "Gulf Coast" of FL they nonetheless are referring to the areas _below_ the Panhandle?

We booked a week in a beach-front cabin
at Sanibel a few years ago in Dec and it was during a red tide ... literally tons of dead fish littered the beach and when the wind blew from the water the stench was incredible.

I guess the odds are fairly low of hitting one any given week, but I'd check with the hotel or cabin manager before booking and see if their cancellation policy allows you to back out in case of a red tide event (probably most will not allow this, but worth asking).

Bill

The problem with "reports" and "hotlines" is that red tide can be extremely localized. One hotel may be virtually inhabitable while, a half mile down the beach, all's well. And vice versa, of course.

If even the <i>slight</i> chance of red tide concerns you, go elsewhere; it's not worth the risk.

that's &quot;uninhabitable&quot; ...

Thank you for the info, I'll check it out. Since we want the Gulf, an island, and peace and quiet, that narrows down our choices. Also we would need four passports to go out of the U.S., we have thought about the Caribbean.

FYI, the cost of a week at Sanibel was less than a week at the Jersey Shore, but of course the high seasons are different. We were flabbergasted to see $2,000 per week for a 1 BR condo in Wildwood in June.

I also like the Fort Myers area, we felt that it was a relatively clean and friendly city.

I guess my point was more &quot;IF&quot; you decide to go, make sure there is a decent pool. That's how we are handling it, we go to Sundial or Casa Ybel and their pools are relatively nice.

As a final note, I didn't see much response to my &quot;nice pools near a beach?&quot; post :)

&quot;And the seeming absurdity of the very idea of _planning_ to vacation in such a place and avoid the beach. Though, on second thought, given the wildlife preserves there, perhaps the second idea in and of itself isn't so crazy after all.
&quot;

Yes, forgot that point. But again on the red tide, maybe we've been lucky to only see a slight case of it out of 10 visits. And we have mostly visited in May. A chart with red tide occurrences in different months would be PRICELESS!

Just want to make sure you realize that you can still go the USVI and Puerto Rico without a passport.

Bookmarking for future reference.

rhrd, you said &quot;But again on the red tide, maybe we've been lucky to only see a slight case of it out of 10 visits. And we have mostly visited in May. A chart with red tide occurrences in different months would be PRICELESS!&quot;

I disagree. Red Tide and red algae have been freakishly bad on Sanibel on and off the last couple of years. You really couldn't base anything on a chart like that ... wish you could! :(

While I have not been on Sanibel during red tide/red algae durations, I have been on Marco Island when the beach has been affected - and while it did not affect my husband, I was miserable - coughing, breathing difficulties, all allergy type symptoms for days - even when at my moms pool which was two blocks from the beach - but I also have other allergies and he does not. However, I ended up visiting a physician the symptoms were so uncomfortable - and sitting inside with the a/c on or having to be inside stores for three or four days was disappointing -

also, regarding using the pool instead - just make sure beforehand that a 3 yr old is allowed in the pool - some resort/condo areas are very particular about toddlers in the pool, whether or not in diapers, use of flotation devices for them, and if there are adult times only in the pool or if they have a designated kiddie pool.

I'm a Sanibel lover like many other posters, and have encountered red twice while vacationing there. One time was supposedly the &quot;worst&quot; case of red tide the island had ever experienced. It was a most unpleasant experience. The amount of dead fish was incredible. Our second experience was toward the end of the outbreak, and we found that some beaches were still bad, and some were just fine. Hit and miss I guess.

Both of those vacations were during Easter break. I've vacationed there probably 8 or nine times and, again, two of them were during red tide.

I just returned last from Sanibel last Monday evening. Spent several days on the beach and it was all clear. Saw dolphins chasing fish near the water's edge. But on my last day, Monday, there was red seaweed piled up. I was certainly disappointed, as it was my last day and I wanted to collect some shells.

There had been a nasty wind storm the day before, and I just assumed it was washed up from that!

Anyhow, my good times there have far outweighed the bad. I guess it's a crap shoot.

Oops, in my first sentence I meant to say Ive &quot;encountered red TIDE twice.&quot;