Best Beaches in Tampa Metro Area (Naples, Sanibel: live in, oil, farms)

[Zambon]

Originally Posted by kmarc

Denial, magical thinking and sayings don't solve problems, correct identification and willingness to solve problems, do.

Speaking of New York beaches, Long Island Sound had a big problem during the 1970s. The water got so bad you couldn't even take a dip in it from a boat, and the beaches got so filthy from what was washing up people all but stopped going, because all they could do was lie in the sun and be food for the biting flies.

Now, the Sound is a much smaller body of water than the Gulf, and it is not totally perfect today, but is a whole lot better because people got together from the many communities along the Sound, on opposite shores no less, and faced up to what was happening and united in a concerted effort to clean it up. And they succeeded to the point where people could once again swim safely in the waters and enjoy the beaches. It took years to do, but they did it.

Granted, they didn't have to deal with oil drilling, but they did handle the other issues such as runoff, dumping and the like. Now, maybe there's not much we can do with the other states on the Gulf, but surely we could have a concerted effort from the southwestern tip of Florida to the Panhandle to do something about runoff, sewage release, dumping and red tide. Maybe people would think twice what they put on their lawns, maybe better methods of flood control put in place, maybe tracking down the medical waste dumpers and putting some teeth into how they are penalized, stuff like that.

Of course we need to take better care of the state's resources like water ways and beaches. No one said that it wasn't an ongoing challenge. The argument being made is that some of you guys are essentially fear mongering. Even after the save the sound campaign, Long Island Sound is still not as clean as the majority of Florida's coast. When there is a storm, you don't go swimming for a couple of days until the run off clears out. It's common sense, but occasional storm run off is not a valid reason to fear swimming in the ocean. Saying that people getting infections from swimming near Alabama is a reason not to swim in Tampa is like saying that pollution in South Carolina is a reason not to swim St Augustine. It's not rational thinking.

Originally Posted by kmarc

Sigh, I see the denial about the gulf is deep-seated. Let 'em marinate in the waters if they want, or hack up a lung from red tide, it's their funeral.

I've surfed in red tide in California before. It is not dangerous. It is just a little smelly.

[Zambon]

It is more than a little bit unfortunate that Florida does not take care of it's beaches better, but that really belongs in a different thread. It is true that the Gulf is too dirty. That discussion needs to take place. Lake Okeechobee is disgusting and pollutes half the coast. That is true too.

However, it is also true that things need perspective because it is not unsafe to swim at Florida's beaches. For the most part they are as clean and safe as the beaches in any other US state. If you prefer to swim in pools, enjoy, but don't go overboard with unrealistic claims of danger to beach goers.

[double6's]

red tide...way to common nowadays in southwest florida..it sucks too..get ready for a nice beach day, go out on the sand and hear numerous people coughing from the irritations from red tide (and you will too)..dead fish washed up on the beach and the smell is overpowering..you gotta turn right around and leave..mad, disappointed and frustrated..we went to the beach more when we lived in Maryland then we down here because of it..

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

Never knew Cali had red tide clyde.

Yes, but the difference there is the water is bone chilling cold. You don't got to the beach in CA to swim unless you're wearing a wet suit.

I lived across the PCH from the beach in Montara (NoCal) and I loved watching the touristas on a sunny day pull up with a carload of kids, all excited because they were at the beach. They would go running into the surf full bore, only to retreat screaming at the top of their lungs because the water was ice cold....

They never seemed to notice that all the people in the water had wetsuits on...

RM

[jambo101]

Best beaches in Tampa metro are are actually west of St Pete on the gulf,Beaches on Tampa Bay are few and far between and nothing to write home about.

[Yac]

As the thread continues, I feel I have to remind some of you to please at least try to refrain from attacking those that have a different opinion and focus on the topic and helping the op.
Yac.

[tricon7]

Originally Posted by kmarc

I said the Gulf is a toilet. The beaches are the toilet seat. Continuing the analogy, the Mighty Mississippi is the large intestine of the US, and empties all that waste into the Gulf. That's for starters. Then there's the fact that the Gulf is stiff with drilling rigs, look up a map of the drilling rigs in the Gulf if you don't believe me. It doesn't matter whether those rigs are over by Texas or Louisiana, they still affect us, as in the Deepwater Horizon accident.

Next up is red tide, where you can't go to the beach unless you want to hack up a lung:

Red Tide - Statewide Status

I see Bucfan has explained about the fecal coliform issue, where beaches get closed due to high levels of bacteria.

Then there's all that chemical runoff from fertilizers and pesticides and such. This gets worse and worse by the year as more people move here and want nice, green lawns, among other things. Occasionally we even hear of medical waste being released into the Gulf, including used needles and catheters. As I recall, that happened down by Sarasota last year, I think.

If you have a cut or scrape, don't go swimming in the Gulf. Stick to a pool or one of Florida's wonderful springs.

For the OP, this guy is the pessimist's pessimist. Ignore him. He'll find something negative about heaven if he gets there, quoting an article to prove it. There's something negative about any place you go if you look for it, but by no means are the beaches dismal as he stated.

The Gulf beaches here do have the sugar-white sand you're looking for, especially the ones in Clearwater that I'm more familiar with. The water isn't crystal clear, but then, neither is the water on the Atlantic side. I've been here the last few years and haven't seen any significant issue with seaweed in that time. Neither is the water dirty, much less filthy. I've never gotten sick from a beach trip, and neither have my kids, nor have any of my neighbors. If there was red tide around, you can bet that there would be warnings and notices out about it, and if there was one, I never heard about it, nor from anyone else. Nor is there oil in the water from an oil rig out a hundred miles. I don't know why this guy hates Florida beaches so much.

Depending on the wind, you can have either one little baby wave at the surf's edge and that's it, or large multi-waves rolling in to surf on if you dare. You won't have Hawaii-waves here, unfortunately (or fortunately). All in all, the water stays warm for much longer here than further north up the Florida coastline or up the country. The weather stays temperate for most of the year, and there's lots of people from all over the country/world visiting these beaches for all these reasons. There's a concourse that runs along the beach where people bike and rollerblade, and performers entertain the visitors, while vendors sell beach knick-knacks on the pier. It's a very festive atmosphere. You'd definitely like it.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by Bob_Brasher

toilet? talk about hyperbole ! the gulf to SRQ has one of the best beaches in theworld

In the underworld, maybe.

[saintpetegirl]

Originally Posted by double6's

red tide...way to common nowadays in southwest florida..it sucks too..get ready for a nice beach day, go out on the sand and hear numerous people coughing from the irritations from red tide (and you will too)..dead fish washed up on the beach and the smell is overpowering..you gotta turn right around and leave..mad, disappointed and frustrated..we went to the beach more when we lived in Maryland then we down here because of it..

Agree with you. I’ve been tracking this red tide issue like a hawk for over 5 years. We decided against the Gulf for our FL return.
I really love St. Pete and wanted to move back - but after 2 exploratory trips with a hacking red tide cough, it was a no-go.

There are some serious issues going on, and red tide is only 1 of them.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by saintpetegirl

agree with you. I’ve been tracking this red tide issue like a hawk for over 5 years. We decided against the gulf for our fl return.
I really love st. Pete and wanted to move back - but after 2 exploratory trips with a hacking red tide cough, it was a no-go.

There are some serious issues going on, and red tide is only 1 of them.

yup!