Red Tide in Naples

Conditions change day to day, so the only reliable way to know is to check a live source the morning you go. Open Mote Marine's beach map at visitbeaches.org/map for Naples-area reports, and cross-check FWC's status at myfwc.com/research/redtide. We deliberately don't post a 'today' status here because it can be out of date within days. Good news: clear, swimmable water is the normal state of things in Naples far more often than not.

Florida red tide is a bloom of a naturally occurring algae called Karenia brevis. When it multiplies it can discolor the water and release brevetoxins. Blooms usually begin 10 to 40 miles offshore and only affect beaches when winds and currents push them inshore. When that happens you may notice a light cough or scratchy throat from the sea breeze, discolored water, or dead fish.

When there's no active bloom, which is most of the time, swimming off Naples is perfectly safe. During an active red tide, Florida health officials advise against swimming in or around it, since the toxins can cause skin irritation, rashes and stinging eyes, and the airborne effect is stronger right at the shore. It's rarely dangerous for a healthy adult, but most people simply pick a clear beach or a different activity that day.

Start with Mote Marine Laboratory's Beach Conditions Reporting System at visitbeaches.org/map, updated as often as twice a day with notes on water color, dead fish and respiratory irritation. Then check FWC's official red tide status at myfwc.com/research/redtide, with a Southwest Florida report typically updated each Friday. For a recorded update by phone, call FWC at (866) 300-9399 or the Collier County Red Tide Hotline at (239) 252-2591.

There's a loose tendency for Gulf-coast blooms to form in late summer and early fall, with October and November the months most often affected, but it is genuinely unpredictable. Blooms can appear, fade and return at almost any time of year, and many years pass with little or no impact. Because of that, it's better to pick your travel dates on weather and crowds and just check conditions live when you arrive.

Don't write off your trip, red tide is patchy and short-lived. Check the reports for several beaches, since one a few miles away is often clear, and go where conditions are good that morning. If the whole shoreline is affected, spend the day inland on Fifth Avenue South, in the shops and museums of Old Naples, or at the botanical garden, the airborne irritation is a shoreline issue, and the wind often shifts within a day.