[CTC]

I grew up in CA but live in FL now. CA has extensive kelp beds off most of its coastline-leading to "sea weed" washing ashore.
We go to the beach quite a bit around Englewood and Venice. There is little seaweed but lots of shells. And sharks teeth
Great for swimming because the waves are small.

[mcharas]

Originally Posted by YoungTraveler2011

let's be honest here boys and girls, California sucks for swimming but so does a beach littered with seaweed.

this is why i fly to Hawaii regularly and not Florida. but i was just wondering if there are good beaches that aren't filled with seaweed over there.

not a single seaweed was seen that day:

SE FL has always had very little seaweed in my experience vacationing for dozens of years (and now living here- both east and west coasts, both north and south)... Usually the worst of it, like many beaches everywhere, follows storms.

When we lived in Boca we rarely dealt with it... We would board and swim more commonly among jellyfish than seaweed- and the jellyfish was the real annoyance.

On the gulf side we haven't been able to say the same, and have encountered much more seaweed... Maybe we have just had consistently worse luck over here.

[MajesticPalm]

Originally Posted by mcharas

SE FL has always had very little seaweed in my experience vacationing for dozens of years

It really depends on the current direction. Today we had a lot of seaweed wash onshore.

[OptimusPrime69]

Seaweed is a sign of a natural and healthy beach. While excessive amounts of it can get annoying, rarely do I find myself lamenting how much seaweed is at the beach when I go literally almost every weekend. A little seaweed is normal. Still doesn't take away from our fab beaches.

[Fredesch]

We have had seaweed in the Daytona Beach through Flagler Beach area for a couple of weeks. But we usually don't have seaweed.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by YoungTraveler2011

bro, you need to get out more.

You gonna give him money to get out more? Florida still has fantastic beaches. It may not have jagged cliffs but it doesn't need them.

[Pincho-toot]

Never seen seaweed on a Florida beach. I've seen seagrass which is not the same thing, and nor does it bother me. It hosts a biodiversity of sea critters. Tons of crabs, fish, seaslugs. It can be an eyesore when it washes ashore and piles up but not enough to ruin a beach. Litter is far, far worse. I've seen disgusting stuff on the beach. People don't care about the environment, they just wanna soak up rays and don't care how much they trash the beach. Sad.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by CTC

I grew up in CA but live in FL now. CA has extensive kelp beds off most of its coastline-leading to "sea weed" washing ashore.
We go to the beach quite a bit around Englewood and Venice. There is little seaweed but lots of shells. And sharks teeth
Great for swimming because the waves are small.

Grew up in SoCal in OC and spent most of my time as a kid at Newport Beach. Moving to the mid Easy coast of FL next year. Warm water is better than cold water seaweed or no seaweed.

[Fredesch]

We had sargassum in Ormond-by-the-sea for a few weeks, but the seaweed has been covered with sand and no longer visible. The water is nice and warm.

[runswithscissors]

It's NOT litter.

And on OUR beautiful beaches in Indian River County we have very strict rules about LEAVING IT THERE certain times of year for the hatchling turtles who use it as nesting and a baby nursery. At other times we rake it. Actually, they use it as a "home" and to find food even in the ocean.

Obviously, you never even go to a Florida beach.

Baby sea turtles spend ‘lost years’ in warm blankets of seaweed -

Sargassum: The What, Where, and Why of this Seaweed | Akumal Dive Shop, Riviera Maya

Sargassum provides a food source, home, and shelter to an amazing variety of marine species (plant, shrimp, crab, bird, fish, turtle and whale).

Turtles use sargassum mats as nurseries. Five species of sea turtles that pass through the Atlantic have been recorded there, and for at least three of these species, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), the Sargasso Sea is vitally important.

Invites pretty much every species of big-game fish that fishermen dream about catching.

On shore, it’s a source of food for crabs, insects, and a myriad of tiny creatures, which in turn feed shorebirds and other coastal animals.

Important for collecting wind-blown sand (anchoring it to create dunes) and encouraging plant growth (due to the nutrients it contributes); long-term, restoring eroded beaches and, short-term, helping reduce wave and wind erosion on the beach!