Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker
If you have been out to Fort Funston, you might have been lucky enough to see an unusual red color in the water. Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon more correctly known as an algal bloom. These algae are plant-like organisms that can form dense, visible patches near the water’s surface.
Some red tides are associated with the production of natural toxins, depletion of dissolved oxygen or other harmful effects, and are generally described as harmful algal blooms. The most conspicuous effects of red tides are the associated wildlife mortalities among marine and coastal species of fish, birds, and marine mammals. This is probably why there were dead crabs on the beach a couple of days before the red tide showed it’s face to us.
At this point, it is unknown if the red tide is toxic to dogs and humans, but some surfers have stated that they have been sick after being out in this water. The red color will disappear once the conditions change.