People are being warned to stay out of sea foam that has appeared on the beaches of northern New South Wales and Queensland in the wake of severe storms this week, with sea snakes and hazardous material hidden in it.
Storms have lashed the two states, bringing heavy rain, flooding and coastal erosion. The foam is formed by the churning of seawater with algae, salts, fats and other pollutants.
Footage has emerged this week of a dog who became lost in the foam at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast, with people walking in the knee-deep foam searching for the animal.
Hazel the dog rescued from sea foam in Byron Bay, Australia. Sea foam often forms when strong winds and large waves whip up the cresting waves. pic.twitter.com/KSmREu2ADs
— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) December 14, 2020
Children have also been pictured playing in the foam, while tourists have been walking along the beaches affected.
But people are being warned to stay away until it subsides.
Nathan Fife, Gold Coast Lifesaving services supervisor at Surf Lifesaving Australia, told Guardian Australia the foam was not good for people’s health.
“Health-wise it’s probably not great to let your kids play in it,” he said. “Also the marine creatures that might get in it, like sea snakes.”
According to the Marine Education Society of Australasia, there are 32 species of sea snakes found around Australia. While they are venomous, the risk of death is low.
There has been only one recorded death from sea snakes in Australian waters. But people who are bitten will need antivenom, and bites may not be apparent for up to 30 minutes.
Fife said people should also be concerned about surges of water underneath the foam which wouldn’t be visible, and could cause them to fall over or be dragged out to sea.
The foam was likely to settle down in the next few days, he said, but until then he urged people to take caution around beaches, rivers and creeks.
“There’s a lot of debris coming out – there’s been trees and things like that have washed up. I think there was half a cow that washed up at the beach yesterday, so make sure what’s in front of you – there are trees and logs floating around, so please be careful.”
