Non-Toxic Algae Bloom Off Jersey Shore Discolors Ocean, Scares Some Sunbathers Away
ASBURY PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The beaches along the Jersey Shore remain packed with people, but there's something a little off about the sea water.
In Asbury Park, the ocean is a "bizarre greenish-orange" color, as one beach-goer put it. The change in color is due to algae. The Department Of Environmental Protection told CBS 2's Vanessa Murdock the water is safe and the natural algae bloom is non-toxic.
Despite the assurances, some Asbury Park visitors were skeptical about the water.
"It's kind of green. Actually, when you look at it, it's very muddy," Steven Williams told Murdock on Thursday. "We're kind of steering clear of it but normally we would be in the water."
"It's aesthetically really gross and nobody wants to go in that foamy-looking green water, brown," Jennifer Govan added.
But some sunbathers were undeterred by the discolored sea water.
"We just paid $5 to get in so we're going to go," Kelly Demonaco said.
Rutgers Oceanography professor Oscan Schofield said the Jersey Shore is prone to the non-toxic algae.
"We tend not to get the toxic algae off New Jersey," he told Murdock. "There's a lot them and that's why the water changes color," he said.
Algae blooms along the New Jersey coast typically occur four to five times a summer and last about a week, officials said.
Has the discolored ocean turned you off from taking a dip? Share your comments below...
