Red tide blooms off Pinellas shorelines
INDIAN SHORES — From 1,000 feet up, ribbons of rust-colored water stuck out against the backdrop of white-sand beaches. For many in Pinellas County...
INDIAN SHORES — From 1,000 feet up, ribbons of rust-colored water stuck out against the backdrop of white-sand beaches. For many in Pinellas County, spring break has just arrived. But this year, so has the red tide. 'Normally, this water up ahead has a Caribbean look to it. You'll see now it looks nasty. That's red tide,' said Christopher Noth, a volunteer pilot with the Southwings conservation organization. Noth banked his plane to the east. Patchy streaks lingered just a few hundred feet offshore of Indian Shores as a steady 8 mph southern wind blew toxic algae up from Southwest Florida.