Dragon Boat West

Anyone else notice the Red Tide in False Creek? Yuck! Went out on the OC1's the other day and I don't like huli'ing in FC on the best of days, but man, the last couple of days have been just nasty for Red tide. Luckily I didn't huli!

Does anyone know what the health risk is to us paddlers as we practice a few times a week out in that crap? Granted, most of us know better than to eat shellfish around red tide season.

Today I saw one of the DB paddlers out of  DZ flip the clipper canoe and had to get towed back by a good samaritan. The DB'er was in the water, holding on to the half sunken canoe and all I could think was "Sucks to be him...that just can't be good for his health." :shock:

Another reason for shower facilities at DZ, or at the very least, a garden hose to hose that poor guy down as he climbed out of the water.

Red tide is estuarine or marine algal bloom. Red tide is caused by species of dinoflagellates, often present in sufficient numbers (thousands or millions of cells per milliliter) to turn the water red or brown. The species responsible for red tides on the gulf coast of Florida is a dinoflagellate called Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve.) It produces brevetoxins which produce respiratory irritation in humans.

Coastal water pollution produced by humans and systematic increase in sea water temperature appear to be causal factors in red tides. On the Pacific Coast of the U.S. there have been apparent increases in the occurrence of red tides since about 1991. These increases are correlated with a marine temperature rise of about one degree Celsius, and also with increased nutrient loading into ocean waters. Additionally, red tide can assume its dormant form if the water cools to a sufficient degree. When it does this it forms cysts which drop to the ocean floor and rebloom if the right conditions occur. As another example, non- red tide algal blooms in lakes and rivers may be caused by greatly increased amounts of phosphorus or nitrogen entering an aquatic ecosystem from either sewage systems or surface runoff of agricultural fertilizers. Some red tides on the Pacific coast have also been linked to occurrences of El Nino events. Red tides also occur in places where there are no obvious associated human activities.

Some red tides produce large quantities of toxins, such as saxitoxin, which disrupt the proper function of ion channels in neurons. Domoic acid, causative of neurological damage in certain marine mammals, is one toxin associated with red tides. The red tide toxins can induce neurological damage and death in marine mammals which feed on affected filter feeders, these include whales, seals, and otters. Red tide can also increase fish mortality; they are also accumulated in the digestive tracts of filter feeders. This bioaccumulation of toxins causes bivalves – like oysters and clams – collected in areas affected by algal blooms to be potentially dangerous for human consumption. Initial signs of poisoning from this toxin is tingling in the lips followed by a reduction of motor abilities and difficulty breathing and can be fatal if consumed in sufficient amounts. If these symptoms occur after eating shellfish, seek immediate medical treatment. Standard medical treatment is to give victims oxygen, or to hook them up to a breather. There exists no antidote, and the idea is to keep the person alive until the toxin has passed from the system.

There is more than one type of red tide, something that frequently goes unnoticed. For example, the red tide that effects the Gulf Region produces, in addition to the toxins that accumulate within filter feeders, an airborne vector that can cause difficulty breathing, especially for those with preexisting conditions whereas that which occurs in the Northeast US doesn't have an airborne vector. It should also be noted that red tide is far from being entirely understood.

Reader digest version. WASH THAT S#$$%T off as soon as you can when you are finished paddling!  :lol:
Good to know though!
Its not good for camera lens either!

Wear sunglasses/eyewear to protect your eyes.
Avoid ingesting/getting any in your mouth.
Save a nice bottle of water to wash your head off when you get out of the water.

On a side note, in case everyone is freaking out and not wanting to touch the water. It takes quite a substantial amount to actually make a person "sick". The algae/plankton in the water causing the red-tide are more harmful to shellfish and the life living in the ocean and can cause death with increased consumption. Humans get sick when they consume enough shellfish/fish that live in oceans/areas with the red tide that can eventually make them sick. It's kind of like mercury poisoning, little doses won't harm you but eventually it will make you sick.

Just be precautious :)

i use a hose to fully hose off shoulders and above after practice. 

Oh.. and a "warning" from CBC and Ocean Fisheries released about a 1.5 weeks ago.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/06/16/bc_red-tide20060616.html
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=c0affd20-3a50-49f9-baa2-11f84d970e4d

yummy, i huli'd on friday night! thankfully the water looked reasonably clean  :? :lol: that night.  (yeah right)

Ditto...huli'ed yesterday in the red stuff...but at least it was high tide... (cough cough) :sick: :lol:

Was out at high tide on Monday night and it may have been the tint in my sunglasses but the water looked like... well maybe I won't elaborate on here... but lets just say I was wondering if we where too close to a squatter cleaning out their sewage tanks. 

So is there any indication of the symptoms from this algae bloom... I understand the variety can cause respiratory paralysis... and I just thought taking the week off made practice hard ;)

When I went paddling a couple of nights ago I did notice a few more dead seagulls and rats floating in the Creek....probably the bad shellfish they ate.  :lol:

The water did look a little better tonight compared to last weekend....

you are SO evil!

i was out today too, and the water in alder bay went from pure red ~12pm to splotchy red/regular murky greeny brown ~2pm

Yes....I was paddling in it yesterday night in an OC1
The water was "Warm" which felt very strange. I pulled up to DZ and honestly did not want to stop because it was quite disgusting (a lot of floaters) There were numerous bird parts everywhere (must be eating Kentucky fried Seagulls on the squatter boats) and I made damn sure I didn't let my hand get into that gunk. I can hardly wait for the next low tide to see what that leaves behind.....


Hope you aren't planning on having any kids....at least ones with only 2 eyes.....

Maybe those birds just like being suicidal around you...   :lol:  I recall a certain Portland incident...  :shock:


Well the extra toes give me better grip for leg drive...   :lol:

I have NO idea what you are talking about..... :roll:
Besides...ALMOST the evidence is gone.......