I had a friend take sick and grow weak over a period of a few weeks. He did recover, but it was a slow process. Diagnosis was not easy, but the medical consensus was ingestion of too much bad bacteria.
My friend was a surfer, and just couldn’t resist the challenge and thrill of storm surf. He surfed for several days in a row, during and after the first major storm of the season. Not long after that, he began to feel weak and sickly.
We recently had the first major wet storms of the season, and some surfers were out looking for storm surf thrills. Most had a blast, but some may feel the effects of ingestion of runoff bacteria over the next month or so.
Our nearshore waters are especially bad when the first storm of the season is a real gully-washer. Heavy rains at the start of the rainy season wash out major concentrations of gunk from our canyons and flood plains.
Mother Nature will clean up the mess, but it’s best to give her a few weeks before spending a lot of time in the water.
I know better than to tell a surfer not to go out. I grew up surfing myself, and I know the call of the surf is powerfully compelling.
I do urge surfers and beach swimmers to spend less time in the water right now, and to take extra precautions not to swallow water. Also, take a good hot shower soon after coming home, and wash your wetsuit much more thoroughly than usual.
Ocean currents and swells move bacteria all along our coast, so there is no place safe to swim. There are places to avoid, however. Beaches near the mouths of flowing streams and creeks will have higher concentrations of bacteria and runoff junk.
A study of the ocean current flow direction gives a careful observer a clue as to which way (up coast or down coast) the runoff is being carried. Head the other way before taking to the water.
Water conditions should improve in another week or so. Even if we have another good rain, the runoff shouldn’t be quite as dirty as after the first big storm.
Where does the bad bacteria come from? Well, mostly from us, of course. High bacteria counts come from areas where there are more pets than in other areas, also from places where residents have a habit of tossing bad stuff over their fences into the creeks.
But the highest concentrations of fecal bacteria can come from the vicinity of homeless camps. That is an extremely difficult social problem to deal with.
Meanwhile, just be cognizant of questionable water quality, until Mother Nature cleans house. She is good at that.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
