South Oz Algal Bloom Returns To Victor Harbor
Eight months after symptoms were first reported at Waiptinga and Parsons Beaches on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, there's been a return of the toxic algal bloom to the region and subsequently an increase in reports of irritation to surfers.
Of concern is that surfers who were unaffected earlier in the year are now reporting symptoms.
One of those is regular Swellnet photo contributor Andy Smyth.
“Two Saturday’s ago I surfed Parsons with no symptoms," says Andy. “The very next day at the same beach I got a sore throat which lasted 36 hours.”
“Then a few days later I surfed Waitpinga Rivermouth and could see white foam brewing through the lineup," says Andy before applying a bit of surfer's logic. "It was cooking so I still headed out but got another sore throat.”
The problems continued for Andy. “The very next day at Waitpinga again, [I got another] sore throat and a bit of chesty cough and flu.”
Despite the bloom now floating around for eight months, Andy hadn't had many symptoms. "I haven't suffered from it very much at all," explained Andy, "but during the last three surfs I've suffered more than when it started.”
One of the sessions Andy suffered ill effects from (Smyth)
On top of Andy’s reports, yesterday surfers at Knights Beach, inside Encounter Bay, reported symptoms as foam rounded the corner from Petrel Cove.
The signs aren’t great as we approach the summer holiday period. During the winter season, the bloom shrunk in size and was mostly contained to Gulf St Vincent, but since then, we’ve started to see it expand again, with continued fish mortalities reported across the metropolitan coastline.
This comes at a time when the algae responsible for fish kills and adverse reactions has finally been identified. That being a rarely observed single-celled algae called Karenia cristata. It’s only been discovered twice before and contains significant amounts of neurotoxins, named brevetoxins.
These are the toxins linked to respiratory and sight issues. It's also what's been wiping out the sea life. The previous Karenia mikimotoi detections didn’t explain the fish kills or adverse human reactions, as that strain doesn’t contain neurotoxins.
Sea foam spreading out from Petrel Cove and West Island. Usually benign but this time carrying brevetoxins (Andy Alford)
While identifying the cause of the the environmental catastrophe can be considered progress, the concern now heading towards a La Niña summer is that it'll provide ideal conditions for the bloom to grow.
While only weak in nature, a La Niña pattern lends itself to fewer south-east wind and upwelling events, which would help stir up the stratified water column and disperse the bloom. Lighter winds throughout the gulf could also aid in the spreading of any bloom.
There’s also the question of what caused the initial bloom in the first place.
Most indications point to the major flooding of the Murray River through 2023, dumping excess nutrients including fertiliser and nitrogen into the local waters. This then sat dormant ahead of a significant upwelling event in early 2024, the possible catalyst for the bloom when marine heatwave conditions developed later in the year.
While this is still being investigated, we’ll continue to monitor and report developments as they come to hand.
// CRAIG BROKENSHA
Comments
Wonder if the governments fancy app warned of algae at victor yesterday, certainly ain't goin' away.
I found this via the resources link on the website.. handy for the Andys?
https://pir.sa.gov.au/sardi/aquatic_sciences/marine_ecosystems/algal_bloom
(the 20 second time-lapse forecast modelling of particle movements.. above these words..):
"Latest oceanographic forecast modelling of particle trajectories representing microalgae for different source locations using the PIRSA eSA-Marine system. Blue arrows indicate the model wind speed and direction. Red lines highlight the convex envelope, or polygon, with the shortest perimeter that encloses the particles tracked from each source location across the simulation period."
any boffins know how they measure the directional flow of water-borne particles? haha, release radioactive silt..?
It'd be using the forecast tidal currents for the period and also wind driven surface currents.
And for observation, flow meters along with dropping in objects and tracking them helps verify. The gulfs tidal movements have been studied in high detail for decades, with that all being fed into the modelling.
Cool site though!
It's back from Goolwa to Middleton as well.
Surfed Middleton Point on Wednesday and had a persistent cough afterwards. The last 3 months approximately surfed without any symptoms
Thanks Craig... Interesting to note that Harmful Algae has the ability to Morph into something completely different, with a different set of rules and ways it can hurt our oceans and us...
It could even be that Mikimotoi morphed in Caristata but that's speculation at present. Thanks for the report...
Sore eyes, sore throat, shit surf and never ending onshores, welcome to SA
Yep, everyone was coughing at Middleton Point today, more so in the carpark than on the water. It seemed to be more airborne, spores flying around with the sea spray/mist or something. I've had Eminem's 'Guess Who's Back' going around in my head all day.
Very interesting.
I surfed at Middleton point yesterday (Thursday). By the end of the sesh I was coughing, eyes were stinging and throat was really sore. Feeling like crap today. So sad to see it return to the South Coast, after a relatively clean run over the last month or so. . Several other surfers who surfed there on Thursday reported similar impacts.
Have an interesting and potentially quite alarming report... I've been foiling on Lake Alexandrina last couple of months to avoid the bloom (it's a huge freshwater lake just upstream from Goolwa / Murray Mouth, has barrages stopping seawater incursion). No HAB symptoms in that time, as expected. But about 2 weeks ago I noticed lots of small foamy blobs coming onto the shoreline near Milang. Went for a foil anyway, no probs. However last Friday 7th went for another sesh, no foam in sight, and ended up with a moderately severe case of classic HAB symptoms for 2 days, beginning from the moment I left the water.. wonky head, dodgy vision, constant runny nose etc.
I hope this doesn't mean there is now a crossover into the lower lakes system? It could also be a standard blue-green algae situation although current weather and waterflow conditions would suggest otherwise.
Wonder how the Coorong is fairing at present? (saltwater with narrow linkage to the ocean). Karenia was identified, very unexpectedly, in there at the start of this tragedy. I'll report my incident to a scientist I know who's involved in algae sampling of the coastline and Coorong, although she is extremely busy of late. Damn this thing!
Might be time to admit..... theres a couple of things going on here.
Nothing can move that fast, here one day, gone the next...Mid coast, Glenelg, Seacliff miraculous clear water today, swam in it yesterday, back to normal
Low and behold, surfed Parsons Sat and its back... Mid coast sludge coyld be sand carting? Thats stopped, water clear
according to today's 4 day particle trajectory forecast, it looks like little movement in the gulf, but when the 21kt westsouwesterlies (swellnet) kick in Sunday morning (16th), particles that have been creeping west will be sent scuttling back east, along from backstairs passage to victor / from victor to goolwa.. if I'm watching this visualisation correctly:
https://pir.sa.gov.au/sardi/aquatic_sciences/marine_ecosystems/algal_bloom
(and whatever particles the limestone coast has been sending north west out to sea will slingshot back towards us. Nothing nasty there that I've seen. Even down 42 mile crossing/ Tea Tree near Kingston.. clear water and gutters, some wicked mulloway caught lately).
I'm the President of Windsurfing SA.
All the windsurfers have been getting sore eyes coughing and skin irritations for months now.
2 Weeks ago sailing Day St, it wasn't too bad.
But some of the stormies over winter were real bad.
It's definitely trapped in the gulf
I know of people who live a few streets back of North Haven and were getting coughs in their house!
Why is no one talking about California, they are 4 years in a row into their Algal bloom.
Summer waters warming are the perfect storm for the bloom to increase.
I like how the government has taken the word Toxic out of their media spin.
Did everyone get the pamphlet in the mail?
Must be safe if Labour tells me so?
Even reports of People selling up who live on the Esplanade.
They've collected over 34 tonne of dead sea life off of the beaches, how much is rotting on the seafloor?
The great southern reef website has some good info on the bloom
https://greatsouthernreef.com/2025-algal-bloom
Thanks for the reports.
(you're not the feller who once ragged on Diana Laidlaw and Warrick Cheattle in Sticks and Thongs are you? If so, are you still in contact with drummer Matt D, where is he these days? I haven't caught up with him since we went skiing in Saint-Cergue and ended up in a Stuttgart brothel).
I could be
Ha ha sounds like Matt.
"These are the toxins linked to respiratory and sight issues. It's also what's been wiping out the sea life. The previous Karenia mikimotoi detections didn’t explain the fish kills or adverse human reactions, as that strain doesn’t contain neurotoxins."
This guy has some pretty good information on how the algae and fish mortalities relate -
https://www.iangibbins.com.au/science/citizen-science/south-australian-h...
That's great, cheers!
Professor Ian is one of the windsurfers
Sup surfed from Chapman rd Middleton yesterday 13.11.25. Tough paddle out and had had a chest cough, wheezing and runny nose after. Better today but still chesty. It's definitely about.
It’s nasty again at Middleton. There has been exceptionally clear water down south last two months or so. If there ever was a case for a wave pool SA would be prime candidate at the moment
Had an hour and a half bodysurfing at Goolwa yesterday with no worries, in a cross/offshore. Council crew working at the carpark had been working around chicken run Thursday with big swell and an onshore and all got affected pretty badly.
It is quite distressing watching all this unfold from a distance. I'm on the Surf Coast. Don't know if it is inevitable it will eventually spread to Victorian waters or not. Maybe the more open nature of the Victorian coast will prevent it? But I imagine if it got into Port Phillip Bay or even Western Port Bay it would be catastrophic. The water temperature goes up significantly during summer in Port Phillip and there isn't that much water movement in and out of the heads.
Reallly really hope this is just some boat slick but saw some white looking streaks out to see off the great ocean rd this morning:(
There's a cable ship off the coast today, dive vessel nearby. Maybe a bit of disturbing the sea floor?
Hearing all this again. Everyone having reactions. Maybe I’m just very lucky I have surfed down victor every day the past 5 days except today. And haven’t had any issues at all. But have noticed the algae bloom slick on the water around the chiton/ petrol cove area. Lucky I haven’t had any issues personally. So I’m guessing some people it doesn’t affect ?
Karenia cristata [Groundwater- Inshore (Shoreline-Wave Zone) Intro Doc Drawer]
So not a conspiracy but an actual Intro into Toxic Leaching Groundwater examples.
Some direct related > Some perfectly timed > Epic Proportion of Slow constant Release.
Some well studied > Some Shock > Some Prohibitions / Restrictions > Local Observation
https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article/doi/10.1525/elementa.367/112...
Brown (1979) reported a fish mortality in the Strand and Gordon’s Bay areas in 1976 in response to a dark brown discoloration of the sea attributed to a bloom of an unidentified Gymnodinium species. On this occasion, clogging of the gills was assumed to be the likely cause of the mortality because some fish appeared to be coated with the dinoflagellate. The first mortalities of marine life in False Bay associated with a toxin-producing dinoflagellate were observed in 1988 and 1989, with the latter event including the mortality of an estimated 40 tons of abalone (Horstman et al., 1991). These blooms caused an olive green discoloration of the sea and were associated with the production of an aerosol toxin that affects humans. The causative dinoflagellate was initially identified as a Gymnodinium species but later described as a new species, *[Karenia cristata] (Botes et al., 2003). Blooms of this dinoflagellate were again prevalent in...
"1995–1996 when they occurred during the peak of the summer holiday season, causing beachgoers and seaside residents severe coughing, burning of the nasal passages, breathing difficulties, stinging eyes, and irritation to the skin"
(Pitcher and Matthews, 1996). The noxious gases associated with the bloom were initially reported from the Fish Hoek, St James, and Muizenberg areas, but later the effects were also reported on the eastern side of the bay before spreading to Walker Bay and impacting the coastal resort of Hermanus.
1996 Groundwater as a possible controller of surf diatom biomass by EE Campbell, GC Bate
http://rchn.biologiachile.cl/pdfs/1996/4/Campbell_&_Bate_1996.pdf
[Back Up Link]
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Groundwater%20as%20a%20p...
Abstract / Rev Chil Hist Nat, 1996
Several South African beaches have high nutrient loads. both as point sources and as seepage from freshwater aquifers that are located just behind beach foredunes. While point sources may have nitrogen loads up to l 00 times higher than that of nonpolluted sea water. the seepage water appears to contribute more to the increased nutrient loading of the surf-zone. Alaunus australisis Drebes et Schulz accumulates to high cell concentrations in several of the surf-zones of South Africa. The accumulations colour the water brown if the conditions are suitable. All sandy beaches longer than 5 km. mcluding the highly polluted False Bay beaches. south-western coast of South Africa, were investigated in this study. Nutrient inputs and phytoplankton standing stocks were measured at each site. A correlation between several environmental variables and phytoplankton bion1ass showed that the higher the total inorganic nitrogen input from groundwater. the higher the biomass. Eutrophication, while not causing accumulations of A. australis can be considered to change the natural dynamics of this surf diatom resulting in elevated standing biomass. At sandy beaches where human impacts are minimal. large coastal aquifers can provide nitrogen to maintain a biomass level proportional to the magnitude of the nutrient supply. While surf energy is the major driving force controlling the presence or absence of surf diatoms, nutrients may well control their standing stocks.
Related Articles (Links)
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=related:doJ0XGvLR-IJ:scholar.google...
tbb's Gold Coast recently saturated their instant greening & sprouting of The Spit Regeneration..
Copying Events City SA Recycling Wastewater Flooding over City Ocean/ Riverside Parks >
"Supercharged mass fertilized rich brew recycled WW > {Fluro Green Oceanside Event Postcards}"
Looks and sounds super...
Funny thing tbb noticed was all the dead fish washed up on the shore at Point of Miracle Green Park.
Soon as the turf was laid > Flicks WTP switch Fluro Green Grass > Beach > Sand > Bay > Bait Fish dead.
Like a Record dowsing of seedlings and turf by new WTP super brew...Oopsie!
Next thing tbb reads was Council switching off WTP for redo...guessing to weaken their Cordial poo?
Seems like the WTP Postcard Cordial brew was a bit too strong...
Those there direct linked timed events > ( tbb was originally blurred by Fishing Tournament / Seaway Dredging).
But this Record WTP doused Massive Park was visibly turning dayglow green into the Broadwater Fish Stock!
Got tbb thinking...how strong does Recycled Cordial Brew gotta be for WR SA Desert Sands Spritzer!
Like it all directly leaches in WR amounts 24/7 into groundwater onto nearby beaches & out to sea..
WR 24/7 on tap Volumes of Super enriched Recycled Wastewater leaching from coastal reserves.
Never gonna stop that...Wot if all them miles of pipes crack / split & leach it 24/7 where / whenever!
2013 > 2025 Adelaide SA WR Neighbourhood Bores Prohibition
Now over 20 Toxic Districts...prohibiting broader & deeper reserves...declared toxic > off limits forever!
Started at 10m deep > Now 60m deep > [Do not touch] [Do not eat Veges] > Already breaches to sea!
Fact is only Adelaide hooked up this WR 24/7 Waste-watered Foreshore...
Many Oz cities are watching...
https://www.sawater.com.au/news/recycled-water-pipeline-a-pitch-perfect-...
https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/blog/2025/4/17/sustaining-parks-in...
SA WR Toxic Groundwater > only Adelaide also did this to their Groundwater on WR Scale...
Why they really shut down the Oz Car Industry...before they shut down Adelaide...Ugly Truth Exposed!
When I was into water quality monitoring; we sent monthly algae sample results to Professor Dominic Chang at NSW Uni. His research recommended turning the water column over, to disrupt the algae growth phase ...
(ie. reduce thermo water stratification, increasing surface turbidity, reducing photosynthesis of harmful algae : )
We installed a 2m impeller (reverse propeller) to turn the water over 24/7 in a big dam. It works.... when the equipment & power supply works....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeller
The EPA recommended alternative for algae control in big dams is to treat with copper sulphate (CuSO4) ...that kills more than algae..... fish, mussles, yabbies, etc.
"Copper sulfate breaks down algae, resulting in the release of algal toxins and odorous substances that decay over time. Hence, a withholding period is needed after copper sulfate has been used as an algicide, and it may be necessary to monitor copper residues, toxins and odours during a follow-up period."
Reference https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/par...
Nasty algae blooms are reoccuring issue around the 'civilised' world...., documented & studied till funding runs out
(eg. NSW Fisheries, Dept Ag, Aust Museum, Soil Conservation service & CSIRO again & again...on todays ABC news).
"Due to rapid industrial and agricultural development, as well as increased urbanization, large amounts of nutrient-rich waters are discharged into rivers, lakes, and seas, which is followed by vigorous phytoplankton proliferation and frequent severe bloom events (Anderson et al., 2002; Berry et al., 2017; Glibert et al., 2018; Heisler et al., 2008; Keck and Lepori, 2012). Recently, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have emerged as global hazards (Anderson et al., 2012; Yu et al., 2017)."
Solutions....to pollution....? P.R. is often prettier & cheaper in cocktails....in the short term , than scientists studies long term ... meanwhile, .... we have had an increasing problem needing practical management & .... AI Ltd PR smoke screens will further delay the invitable actions required asap....
eg. Modified clay dispersed in water has been shown to reduce sunlight, reduce nutrients and some harmful algae. Some sealife would be affected at the cost of saving more mobile species.
"Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are global hazards under global climate change and eutrophication conditions. Modified clay (MC) method is widely used to control HABs in Asian and American coastal waters. "
Reference:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11573764/
meanwhile... daily sex stories sell more than algae blooms....
meanwhile... can we get a grip on the issues ... on 18th Nov 25
Muddy waters dont remove all pathogens
"In July 2025, Gibb's impartiality was again questioned in an open letter from over 400 media figures to the BBC, which stated: "we are concerned that an individual with close ties to the Jewish Chronicle … has a say in the BBC's editorial decisions in any capacity, including the decision not to broadcast Gaza: Medics Under Fire".[25]
In November 2025, Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey called for Gibb's removal from the BBC board because of Gibb's alleged role in the 2025 BBC editorial bias controversy.[26][27][28] One of the main BBC staff unions, Bectu, has also called for Gibbs' removal from the Board.[29] "
Reference
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Gibb