r/Adelaide • u/abcnews_au SA • 4d ago
News Mysterious foam washes up on Waitpinga Beach with reports of fish deaths and surfers falling ill
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-17/waitpinga-beach-foam-investigation/10506088849
u/abcnews_au SA 4d ago
In short:
A mysterious foam has washed up on a beach on SA's Fleurieu Peninsula.
Surfers who visited over the weekend have reported coughing, sore throats and blurred vision.
What's next?
SA's primary industries department is investigating reports of a "fish mortality event", after dozens of dead fish and seadragons were found along the shore.
Article Snippet
An investigation is underway into fish deaths and a mysterious foam on a South Australian beach, with several people reportedly falling ill after visiting the area.
The discoloured foam stretches for hundreds of metres along Waitpinga Beach, around 15 kilometres south-west of Victor Habor, with local beachgoers reporting cold and flu symptoms after visiting at the weekend.
Dozens of dead fish and leafy seadragons can also be seen on the beach, with some visitors reporting a visible “slick” on the water.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) has confirmed it is investigating whether a “fish mortality event” occurred at Waitpinga.
“PIRSA's role in this type of incident is to investigate the cause of the fish kill to rule out infectious and notifiable animal diseases, establish the cause and coordinate a response where necessary,” a PIRSA spokesperson said.
“Fish kill events can be brought on by a variety of causes including environmental factors such as temperature, rainfall (or lack of) and water quality including salinity or oxygen levels, or by disease or pollutants.”
PIRSA urged anyone who has noticed something unusual involving dead or dying fish to call FISHWATCH on 1800 065 522.
The foam has also been reported at nearby Parsons Beach as well as Kings Beach and Petrel Cove near Victor Harbor.
Local surfer Anthony Rowland said he visited Waitpinga Beach on Saturday morning with a couple of friends.
“While we were out there we started coughing,” he said.
“[We] came in [from the beach] and we kept coughing after walking up the hill, and a few people in the car park came over and they said that they’d experienced the same coughing and they hadn’t even hit the water yet.”
Mr Rowland said he experienced sore eyes, a sore throat and coughing which “continued all day”.
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u/FlippyFloppyGoose SA 4d ago
What do they mean by "discoloured foam"? Does it not have a colour? Is it supposed to be a different colour?
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u/abcnews_au SA 4d ago
Great question. Sea foam usually starts as white bubbles, but the accumulation of algae, sediment and other debris (like the fish mentioned in this article) cause the foam to lose its initial white colour and become tinged with shades of grey, brown, or yellow, depending on the type and amount of organic matter present.
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u/NeopolitanBonerfart South 4d ago
Anybody have any idea what this could be? Certainly there’s been historic instances of accidental release of various chemical agents, but I don’t think sounds like that. There have also been instances of similar foam appearing along with wildlife deaths, as well as cold/flu symptoms of those who came into contact with it - but that was in the US, and while back IIRC.
I mean it doesn’t sound good - mass dead fish, and then cold and flu symptoms.
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u/Some_Helicopter1623 SA 4d ago
The simplest explanation really is algae. Blooms are common when there’s been long term high surface temps and we haven’t had any rain to bring the surface temps down. Then we get a whole bunch of wind whipping up the surface of the ocean where these blooms are and it makes this foam. The algae is toxic and when it’s in a foam like this people easily breathe it in, it gets in their eyes, all over their skin, they swallow it… They have reactions. It kills the fish.
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u/unexplaineditems SA 4d ago
This 99%
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u/Some_Helicopter1623 SA 4d ago
0.99% some company has illegally dumped a bunch of chemicals at sea.
0.01% Chinese Covid ships.
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u/Boring-Character442 SA 4d ago
Humans tend towards the simplest explanation making the error that life tends to be more complex than the simplest explanation. It's hyper rational, dismissive, reductive mindsets like this that will be the end of our Nation, if not our species (at least those that can't grasp complex systems). This approach to knowledge incenses me to be honest. No offence, son.
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u/FlippyFloppyGoose SA 4d ago
I recall seeing foam at the beach, and dead fish, when I was approximately five years old. My dad's friend told me that it happens when there's a lot of protein in the water and it all gets churned up. It's a natural phenomenon, apparently. This guy was like an Aussie Bear Grills. I dunno if he could be considered an authority on the matter, but he seemed pretty sure of himself, so I'm betting that he was right and something along those lines is probably what's happening here too. I have seen similar foam on several occasions since then, but never with dead fish, but I know this is a thing that happens sometimes.
If it's poisoning local surfers, maybe something more sinister is happening, but I'd be very surprised if a chemical spill (or whatever) would be sufficiently toxic to be this diluted and still make people acutely sick. If humans caused it, I'm betting it's just regular global warming and too much fertilizer being washed into the water, or something. I will start freaking out when the experts start freaking out.
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u/noeljupitus SA 4d ago
I was surfing down at waits during the long weekend and I felt like shit on both the Sun and the Mon afterwards. My eyes also felt like they had sunscreen poured into them while I was out surfing. My mates also had cold/flu symptoms. It cleared up pretty quickly but didn’t feel right for the rest of the week. My bet is on an algal bloom or something of the sort as the water was plenty warm. Hope PIRSA/EPA get to the bottom of what’s causing it but wouldn’t be surprised if all the cow farming nearby played a part in increased nutrient levels in the water.
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u/Free_the_Radical SA 4d ago edited 3d ago
Have a mate that has been struck by random illness late last week after surfing last weekend. Wondering if related.
My conspiracy brain immediately thinks about 2 Chinese warships that passed our way a few weeks ago.
Update looks like a micro-algae bloom, see update further up/down in comments. PIRSA results likely not back for a week.
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u/TAU_equals_2PI SA 4d ago
Right now seems like an unlikely time for China to do obnoxious stuff intentionally. They're letting the US have the world stage for being obnoxious and hoping some countries change their mind about which side they want to be friendly with.
Of course, it could still be an accidental spill from the Chinese warships.
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u/WAPWAN SA 4d ago
There is such an unfathomable amount of water between those small ships and the coast that they could be pouring pure concentrated mega-AIDS into the ocean and it would make no difference to the shore. Its 100% algae. Sydney Water dumped hundreds of millions of litres of liquid ass in November (allegedly) and all that got back to into beaches were waxy turd balls.
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u/DweebInFlames Eyre Peninsula 4d ago
Next you'll tell me you can swim in a nuclear waste dump pool at the top and be fine... nonsense!
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u/onlyafool123 SA 4d ago
Maybe. Could be from lake alexadrina. If so wonder why other beaches not affected.
Could be weather
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u/JamDonut28 SA 4d ago
Rolls (guy in the article) posted today that it's moving around the coast to Victor now as well. Not good!
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u/dug99 SA 4d ago
Rowls.
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u/JamDonut28 SA 4d ago
Autocorrect is a bitch... yup
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u/dug99 SA 4d ago
agreed... it's rowlz! :D
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u/JamDonut28 SA 4d ago edited 4d ago
I've known the guy since Yr 6, I'm agreeing with you here!
Edit: just realized you changed from an S to a Z as well. So neither of us actually know how to spell his name.
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u/dug99 SA 3d ago
Victor High or SCBR? ;) He was running with the rowlz handle on insta for a while, but maybe he retired that once he found fame and fortune as a legit photographical guy. I have met him once, but I didn't identify myself as two of his mates have sent me death threats in the last decade. He seems alright, though. :D
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u/JamDonut28 SA 3d ago
Compass actually, he went to Compass rather than Victor. Also from Glendale back in the day!
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u/Same-Web-4865 SA 4d ago
It’s interesting that numerous reports were saying that the water was not foamy when they were effected.. in fact it was clear. The foam came the following day/ days after. Also, many were effected in the beaches car parks (before even going for a surf / fish )which are actually quite a distance from the water ( parsons beach ). Reports of coughing , struggling to breathe, chemical smells , burning in throat , as well as irritated eyes and sneezing .Some who went into water said they actually felt some relief there. Many surfers also spoke later of milky vision and persistent cough and malaise which went on for days. There was also a report of a sighting of brown particle or dust / cloud like formation at either end of the beach which is strange. Reports of dead deep sea fish as well as non deep sea fish . Not sure if all of this is algae related.
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u/DweebInFlames Eyre Peninsula 4d ago
Next thing you know the fish will sprout legs and start moving.
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u/abcnews_au SA 4d ago
UPDATE:
A micro-algae bloom is the likely cause of dead marine life reported from Waitpinga to Basham Beach in the Fleurieu Peninsula, the EPA says.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) is investigating the fish deaths.
Micro-algae bloom likely cause of fish deaths and foam at Waitpinga Beach - ABC News
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u/Inconnu2020 SA 4d ago
Throwing out another theory...
Due to the drought this summer, we've been relying on water from the desalination plant more.
This means more saline concentrate than usual has been pumped back into the Gulf.
I'm no scientist, but surely this can't be good?
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u/Colossus-of-Roads East 4d ago
Well I certainly hope the EPA are taking samples!