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Divers
Plunge into Countywide Effort Rafael A. Olmeda Underwater, divers said it looked deceptively pretty, like long flowing red hair waving gently in the current. Above the water, it looked like muck. More than 100 divers jumped into the waters from Hollywood to Deerfield Beach on Saturday to remove as much of the muck as they could, before the covering of filamentous algae kills a coral reef. "It's normal that we see it in summertime more than in winter, but this year it persisted through the winter in some places," said Ken Banks, manager of marine resource programs for the Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection. "About six to eight weeks ago, it exploded on the mid dle reef trap." Scuba divers who enjoy the beauty of the coral reefs, which lie mostly within a mile of the shoreline, are worried that the algae, also known as cyanobacteria, are killing the corals by depriving them of light and hindering the coral's ability to feed. Jeff Torode, owner of South Florida Diving Headquarters, joined with DPEP and other environmental advocates to invite divers to help pull the algae off the coral reefs. "It's pretty much carpeted in large quantities," Torode said of the algae. He and other advocates said Saturday's effort was not to remove the algae problem, but to call attention to it in the hopes that other environmental groups would fund the research needed to determine the cause and come up with a solution. Scientists, environmentalists and consultants were among those who joined Torode on his boat, the Coral Princess, on Saturday to witness the extent of the problem. When they emerged, all agreed that the problem was a s erious one. "I've never seen anything like it," said Valerie Paul, director of the Smithsonian Institute's marine station in Fort Pierce. "It is the worst I have ever seen on a reef." The cause of the bloom is purely speculative at this point, said Banks. Some blame stormwater and canal runoff from Broward County, and others wondered openly if it was related to the Hillsboro Inlet. Banks said finding the cause is key to finding the solution. "If we see some patterns emerge, it might give some reflection on where the source of the problem is," Banks said. Both Banks and Paul kept some of the collected algae for further study. After spending 90 minutes at two reefs Saturday morning, many volunteers said they made a small difference, at best. "It's overwhelming," said Stephen Attis, president of Vone Research, a Pompano Beach-based environmental group focusing on water quality and marine history. "There's a lot of people down there, working ha rd and cleaning the reefs. And the end result is, we can hardly tell the difference." Stephanie Clark, treasurer of the nonprofit group Cry of the Water, said she concentrated on saving whatever could be saved. "It's triage right now," she said. Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4207.
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