Biloxi brown water

Sorry if this has been posted already, or is in the wrong thread....I decided to come down to the Gulf because I needed a mini vacation. Anyways when I got here I noticed very few people at the beach and no one in the water.. I'm thinking what the heck ? Anyways after settling in at my hotel (the only reason I chose biloxi ms is because I got a comp from the casino. ) I went to the liquor store . I asked him the same thing "why isn't anyone at the beach or in the water?" He began to tell me how the water is brown and nasty , and they have "water warnings" .. so I need to see for myself. I drive along until I see a group of about 10 people, so I get out and go investigate the beach.. sure enough the water was cloudy and brown . I walked along for about 5 minutes and decided I'd rather go swim at my hotel . I'm very disappointed. I really wanted to go to the beach and have some fun in the ocean. I had no idea they had these water warnings (I don't think there is 1 in effect) .I'm from about 350 miles north of here I wish I had done a little more research before coming. Does anybody else know about this ? Anyways I'm stuck down here for 2 more days if any ats members are in the area feel free to send me a message . What's there to do around here with no beach ?

a reply to: AirTurbineStarter

I'd go fishing....

www.cyberangler.com...

and then go to....

www.treasurebay.com...

for a few hands of holdem

a reply to: AirTurbineStarter

No one is in the water because of the flesh eating bacteria warnings. I doubt they are still in effect, but I don't think I'll ever let my kids swim in that water again.

Other than the beach and the casinos there's not much going on down here at the moment. I like taking the kids to Gulf Islands Waterpark, and the flea market down on Menge Ave. usually has some neat stuff, but that's about it lol.

Or you could catch the boat out to Ship Island in the morning, the water is much cleaner out there.

I have not heard anything and I live in the Gulf Coast. Now that doesn't mean there isn't anything going on. I checked local fishing forums and didn't see anything mentioned other than red tide. Red Tide is a pretty common occurrence this time of year and would definitely close the beaches.

a reply to: AirTurbineStarter

My sister has a grooming shop on Pass Road in Gulfport MS. I used to live in Biloxi and Gulfport MS. I will never go back.
I lived there in the 1970's & 1980's the beach was great back then, it was always pack full of tourist. The water was so clean back then. The Gulf Coast is a dead zone now. You cant eat the sea food, it's all poison from a chemical the oil companies used called Corex, to sink all that oil from the BP oil spill. The BP oil spill destroyed the Gulf of Mexico and all the sea food.

However, I do hear the Casino's are great and there are a few night clubs in Biloxi, if they are still there. After the last big hurricane many people left MS and decided it was not worth rebuilding and not to mention the insurance companies screwed a lot of people down there after that big storm.

I used to go to ship island from Gulfport every summer, now I hear no one is going there because the water is to dangerous to swim in. The water at Ship island used to be crystal clear and blue, from what I heard from family down there, it is dark brown with oil washing up on the island.

Sorry to hear your vacation wasn't what you expected. I move to NC in the early 1990's and I love it here.

a reply to: Informer1958

While I am not saying that the oil spill didn't cause significant damage, some we may not see for years to come. Your statements couldn't be further from the truth. The Gulf of Mexico is not a dead zone by any means. Matter of fact fishing really hasn't been this good since long before the spill. Granted fishing drop offs are usually attributed more to over fishing and gov regulations on commercial fisheries. This causes a lot of restrictions and also allows for some over fishing in the commercial fishing game. Let me be the first to tell you commercial fisherman are always going to say the fishing is down or that the spill caused damage to their lively hood. They are only saying this in an attempt to get subsidized monies to offset commercial fishing regulations. They have been saying this long before the oil spill and will continue to say it ling after the spill. This dance has been going on for decades between regulators and commercial fisherman.

Now let me just give you a little info real time from a recreational fisherman. Just this last weekend I was fishing at the oil rigs off AL, MS and LA. In two days we limited on all targeted species. Even managed to pull several yellow fin approaching 100lbs. All fish we cleaned and found to be healthy and free on any oil or suspicious looking materials. Now is this was a one time occurrence that would be one thing, but it has been like this every weekend year in and year out for the past two to three years. I am a very very avid fisherman and target everything from pelagic species to bottom dwellers and bay fish. Two to three years after the spill it was spotty. Now the fishing couldn't be better.

Once again I am not saying there aren't any long lasting effects however fishing and water clarity are not one of them. At least not in the areas I fish which pretty much encompass the whole Gulf Texas to Florida.

So did you eat any of that BP marinated seafood at the casino?

The above response by informed is so incredibly misinformed that I will not respond to it.
If you like to fish, hire a guide and go fishing. The fishing is fantastic right now for many species including speckled trout, redfish, cobia and even yellowfin tuna.
Another wonderful thing to do is canoeing in one of the many pristine rivers in the area. My favorite is the Wolf River. Here is a link to a rental spot I've used.

www.wolfrivercanoes.com...


Weather you go fishing or canoeing or neither, take a short drive down the coast to Bay St. Louis. It is highlighted in each of the articles linked below. There are tons of wonderful things to do in the area.

m.budgettravel.com...

www.coastalliving.com...

I will also add, the reason no one is at the beach is because school started last week. Also, no locals go to the beach in Biloxi. They choose from many others to steer clear of the knuckleheads in Biloxi for the casinos.

a reply to: AirTurbineStarter

a reply to: GuidedKill

Gulf seafood deformities alarm scientists

Pathways of exposure to the dispersants are inhalation, ingestion, skin, and eye contact. Health impacts can include headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, chest pains, respiratory system damage, skin sensitisation, hypertension, central nervous system depression, neurotoxic effects, cardiac arrhythmia and cardiovascular damage. They are also teratogenic - able to disturb the growth and development of an embryo or fetus - and carcinogenic.

Cowan believes chemicals named polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), released from BP's submerged oil, are likely to blame for what he is finding, due to the fact that the fish with lesions he is finding are from "a wide spatial distribution that is spatially coordinated with oil from the Deepwater Horizon, both surface oil and subsurface oil. A lot of the oil that impacted Louisiana was also in subsurface plumes, and we think there is a lot of it remaining on the seafloor".

Dr Wilma Subra, a chemist and Macarthur Fellow, has conducted tests on seafood and sediment samples along the Gulf for chemicals present in BP's crude oil and toxic dispersants.

"Tests have shown significant levels of oil pollution in oysters and crabs along the Louisiana coastline," Subra told Al Jazeera. "We have also found high levels of hydrocarbons in the soil and vegetation."

www.aljazeera.com...

I just posted a snip from this Report it is very long and has a lot of information concerning the health effect of eating the sea food. I would be very careful of eating anything from the gulf.

Oil Spill Affected Gulf Fish’s Cell Function, Study Finds

A minnowlike fish that is a major source of food in wetland marshes along the Gulf of Mexico is showing early signs of biological damage from the BP oil spill, a peer-reviewed study published on Monday found.

www.pnas.org...

Exposure to toxic chemicals from the BP disaster, which spewed 4.9 million barrels off the coast of Louisiana in 2010, has altered the gulf killifish’s cellular functions in ways that have been predictive of a lack of reproduction in other fish, according to the study, which appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Andrew Whitehead, a biologist at Louisiana State University and the lead author of the report, said the report was the first he knew of about biological effects on wildlife since the spill and that it was cause for concern.

“We picked the killifish because they are ecologically important and because we knew we’d find them because they don’t move around that much so their biology reflects their local environment,” he said.

Tests of the fish showed cellular changes like poorly regulated estrogen, potentially signaling an impact on reproduction. Other cellular changes could point to impaired biological performance and health, the study said.

green.blogs.nytimes.com...

The above response by informed is so incredibly misinformed that I will not respond to it.

For those that want to call me out as spreading disinformation, SHAME ON YOU!

If any of you want to eat that crap, knock yourself's out. I wont eat any of it.

a reply to: KEACHI

so i guess everything's peachy? cool.

No, im just not a whiny person. I find fun and interesting things to do instead.

a reply to: RoScoLaz4

Maybe unsensationalized info which is current will help you become more informed. NO it's not what it was before the spill, but it's doing much better than expected only 5 years later. The things flushed down the nations toilet known as the MS River on a daily basis from all over the country north of the Gulf have done much, much more damage, and it continues with no relief in site.

www.al.com...

a reply to: Informer1958

a reply to: AirTurbineStarter

I suggest you drive about 4 hours east to Panama City. We were there recently and the beaches were pristine, the fishing abundant, the bays were fantastic, and lots and lots of people. The food on the other hand...meh... My saying while there was "So THIS is where the beautiful people are". LOL

Anyhow, if you decide not to go...here's some reading material while you are NOT at the beach:

Deepwater Horizon

Of course, a simple google search could bring you a wealth of information I rather liked this although I am sure someone could tell me why I shouldn't...It's just a timeline really.

Sorry your vacation didn't turn out as expected!

Sounds more like red tide than anything connected with the oil spill. If memory serves me, this is the time of the year for it and people stay out of the ocean when it's there.
But hey, the beach is still there, right? Is there anything more fun than a deserted beach for a couple of days? Man, that's my definition of heaven! Swim in the pool at your hotel then hit the beach with a good book for the day! Check out the waves, the wildlife and chill.

a reply to: Informer1958

The report you linked is three years old. It was looking for blame to hit BP up for more funding. They made some pretty sweeping conclusions considering that they didn't and wouldn't consider the other sources of toxins, mainly the outflow from the Mississippi river with its load of pesticides and herbicides.
Entire careers were already being planned on this incident when the states and the universities noticed the very deep pockets of BP.
A couple of my family members are still living in New Orleans because they're still working on the on-going documentation. She co-ordinates the hard sciences reports from Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana and he does the technical writing. Their contracts were just renewed for another year and they fully expect to be there for at least two more years.

a reply to: Informer1958

I started out my post by saying I know there is damage from the oil spill, some damage we haven't even possibly seen yet. I am not naïve and understand the effects of Corexit and possible effects on the Gulf. I believe that was my first statement. Being that I live on the Gulf Coast I can assure you I have done my research for the safety of my family.


However the OP stated that the Gulf of Mexico is a dead zone. They also stated that beaches were possibly closed from the dangers the Gulf posses to the public. Those statements are flat out LIES. While I appreciate someone trying to inform the public, I don't appreciate lies and doom porn. I am on the water 3-5 days a week in one form or the other. You can believe a visitor who knows nothing about the local area or you can listen to someone who is on the ground and whose family has eaten many of meals from the Gulf since the spill.

The Gulf Coast region hosts more than 50 million visitors annually...If it is so bad why haven't any of those 50 million killed over from visiting the region?? Can anyone say DOOM PORN?!?!?!!?

Hey OP. We haven't heard from you. Wondering if you found a good time?
a reply to: AirTurbineStarter

That's pretty brave to swim in that area. I was there at Keesler for tech school well before the spill, and the majority of the coastline in that area was dirty, rusty metal, polluted, and as usual around the Mississippi river going West -- dirty and brown.

If I were to swim anywhere in that area it would definitely have to be some private beach where there is no worry about stepping on rusty metal or broken glass. Just sayin', it's definitely not an area I'd brave swimming. Go a few more hours East, away from the Mississippi river for cleaner and nicer water.