Red Tide and Best Time to Visit

We visited Naples in February this year and had an absolutely fantastic time. Beautiful with lots to do.

We want to revisit in July 2008 but have heard there could be problems with Red Tide at that time of year.

Can anyone inform us when the season seems to be for Red Tide, what the negatives are, can we swim in the water, etc.

Thanks

Red Tide and Best Time to Visit

This topic has been discussed in other threads. Go to the search box, make sure you are in the Florida Forum and type Red Tide in the empty box and click on GO.

There is no way to know when Red Tide will occur. If there is a heavy outbreak and the fish kill is large then it is not fun to swim in water with dead fish floating around. It can cause some people respiratory distress. Please do the search to read more detailed explanations.

Red Tide and Best Time to Visit

It can cause some people respiratory distress.

I would emphasize this aspect of Red Tide if someone traveling with you has lung/breathing problems.

We evacuated New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to stay with our daughter on Pensacola Beach for what we thought would be a couple of days. During our 6 week stay the Red Tide arrived %26amp; during the several days before it moved on I couldn%26#39;t leave the house (not directly on the beach) without a mask %26amp; gasping for air even with the mask.

A few days later it was gone %26amp; we were back on the beach.

We have been going to Naples in July for over 15 years and have never experienced red tide. Very often the visit was for the entire month too. However, as others have said, it is unpredictable but I think those are pretty good odds!!!!

Just a note about Red tide it is invisable, you will see dead fish though onthe beach. Red drift alge is not, it is seaweed alge that washes up on the shore not as many dead fish but still smelly, not as caustic to the lungs causing a cough but the seeweed is messy to swim though. As other have posted there is no way to predict the condition of the water, and it could change day to day.

floridamarine.org gives info on red tide and updates maps every week. No signs at all this year but last year was quite bad from June to Sept. Doesn`t seem to be any way of predicting

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