LIDO BEACH – Red Tide seems to be returning to Suncoast beaches – but that’s not stopping beach goers from soaking up the sun.
“Wife of mine has to have her fix of vitamin D here an all,” says Bryan Huff.
It’s a quiet day here at Lido beach. With the Red Tide resurfacing more and more people are choosing to avoid the risk of coming in contact with the bloom.
“We were told by some friends that had a trip down here a few months ago they actually had to leave because it was so bad at the resort. They couldn’t breathe, they were wearing face masks and all, so it stirred the pot a little,” says Huff.
Huff says he and his family came to Lido Beach ignoring the Red Tide warnings for his son. Others however were taking a few precautions.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get in the water and I do enjoy the beach, so it just nice to stroll around. The tide makes it dangerous to swim so it’s not something that I anticipate doing right now,” says Jessica Westfall, marine science teacher.
Early this week conflicting reports from MOTE Aquarium and the Sarasota Department of Health determined the bloom resurfaced around Siesta and Lido Beach.
Not everyone however minded the red tide risks and even went for a swim. “Life is really short, I don’t mind taking some risks,” says Dave Gremban.
“It’s like my dad says you got to live life to the fullest and that means getting a little wet sometimes,” adds Luke Gremban.
NOAA has been unable to determine the size of the patch due to the government shutdown.
