Sea Lettuce Algae Bloom Blankets Monterey Beaches

MONTEREY (CBS SF) -- "Ew!" is not usually an exclamation you hear when you're at the beach. But in Monterey recently, it has become a common occurrence.

An unusually massive sea lettuce bloom is turning parts of the bay into a sea of green, and the beaches have begun to look like a natural salad bar.

"It's really slimy and the other stuff is crunchy kale ... That's what it looks like to me," said Hayward resident Selene Sizar.

She's only half joking. Sea lettuce is edible, and it can be used as a nutrient rich salad. It's a naturally occurring type of algae that grows in oceans around the world.

Experts say this is the sixth time in the last 20 years that sea lettuce has taken over like this on Monterey bay beaches.  Reasons for the bloom may have to do with slightly warmer water temperatures, and more sunlight. But this is the first time it's bloomed like this two years in a row.

A similar bumper crop of sea lettuce washed up in the same places last year near Seaside and Monterey. Scientists say it may be part of a pattern of unusual occurrences the area has seen recently, including an invasion of tiny crabs earlier this summer.

Gerald Rhodes of Salinas brought his sister from Arkansas to see the beach, but didn't anticipate that it would be so weird, "I've never seen it like this.  I thought it was grass at first."

The sea lettuce bloom should eventually pull back, and what's on the beach should crumble into the sand.

For now it's a sideshow, giving the picturesque beaches a little extra color.