Getting sick from the Ocean- am I making this up?!

[toledo13]

you CAN get sick from the ocean...where we live the beaches are closed for swimming because of the bacteria in the water and they just found e coli and put out alerts.I live along the gulf, the warnings are for the areas around,shell point,carrabelle,alligater point and appalach....They have put up signs everywhere to warn of this bacteria.

I'm assuming that if I don't see signs, then it's ok to be out there? It's not a public beach- it's the private Doubletree Ocean Point beach we'll be at (not like South Beach or anything)

 

[Parkers_girl]

I'm assuming that if I don't see signs, then it's ok to be out there? It's not a public beach- it's the private Doubletree Ocean Point beach we'll be at (not like South Beach or anything)

I'm pretty sure that if there was some type of bacteria in the water then the hotel staff would be sure to make their guests aware of the situtation. If you see people frolicking in the ocean and there are no signs or announcements then you are good to go. Have a great time and relax!

 

[C.Ann]

One time while walking on the beach in Cape Cod I encountered an older gentleman who had lived on the Cape all his life.. I was walking in the water - he was walking on the sand.. As he was passing by he mentioned that when I got back to my cottage I should wash my feet with a bleach/water solution.. He said that most "Cape Codders" are aware of this and rarely walk "in" the water.. Whether it's true or not, I have no idea..

As for the sand, my DGD became very, very ill in Maine when she was 18 months old - swelled up like a balloon and her skin was fire-engine red.. Some kind of allergic reaction to the sand.. The doctor at the ER said it might be connected to her mom's severe allergies to seafood and shell fish..

Neither would make me hesitate to walk in the sand or the water though - unless of course there was some kind of sign posted with a warning on it..

Go and have a great trip!

 

[NotUrsula]

You probably read something about Vibrio, as mentioned above. It's mostly a danger to fishermen because they often have open wounds.

Funny story about this (funny looking back because nothing bad happened--if it had it wouldn't nearly be funny, of course.) On our first day of a beach trip a few years ago, DH managed to catch his heel in the hotel's swimming pool gate, it gashed a horrible big u-shaped flap on the back of his heel, though not really deep. He didn't want it stitched if possible, so I went out and got a big bottle of New Skin (superglue for wounds), and I just kept painting on layer after layer of the stuff to hold the wound closed, and after a while, it worked. I had painted the stuff on REALLY thick -- his heel looked shellacked. (New Skin stings badly, btw; it really hurt him to have me really douse the wound in it.)

After a full day of babying the foot, he got crabby and decided he was swimming anyway; after all, common knowledge when we were kids was that seawater is good for wounds. So he swam his heart out, and the wound DID begin to heal amazingly quickly. On our last day at the beach, I happened to be reading the local paper and came across a big story about Vibrio and how these days it is a REALLY bad idea to swim in open water with a wound. Ooops! Luckily he dodged that bullet.

 

[monkey68]

I think most of the water things live in the freshwater. There's a really nasty protozoa in freshwater lakes, after I read about it, I would not go anywhere near a lake for about a year, and then I realized I'd been swimming for years and I wasn't dead yet. But yea, if you ever need a diet, take a microbiology class, you'll be so afraid to go near any food because you'll be thinking of all the bugs and worms that live on there.

But ya, you should be fine. I live right near the beach and in the summers, you can't drag me away from the water. As long as there are no signs, go swim and enjoy yourself.

 

[5 for WDW]

I live at the eastern end of Long Island so literally, at the Ocean. I have been swimming in it since I was a child and all three of my kids spend all summer in the ocean as well. No problems at all.

Like everyone else has said, if there is a problem it will be posted, etc.

Have a great trip!!

 

[PatsGirl]

One time while walking on the beach in Cape Cod I encountered an older gentleman who had lived on the Cape all his life.. I was walking in the water - he was walking on the sand.. As he was passing by he mentioned that when I got back to my cottage I should wash my feet with a bleach/water solution.. He said that most "Cape Codders" are aware of this and rarely walk "in" the water.. Whether it's true or not, I have no idea..

I was born and raised on the Cape as were my parents and their parents. Most of the family made their living as fishermen. I have never heard of this.

In fact, just the opposite ~ anytime we have cuts or wounds we would head to the ocean, my grandparents did it, my parents did it, and I have done it with my children.

On the other hand, my children have never been allowed to swim in fresh water after July 4th. I have found that many children here and elsewhere are more prone to bronchial and ear infections from fresh water as the weather gets warmer. We live on a pond that is tested yearly and gets very good grades ~ my kids start swimming there in April but I still don't allow them to go after summer begins

 

[npmommie]

One time while walking on the beach in Cape Cod I encountered an older gentleman who had lived on the Cape all his life.. I was walking in the water - he was walking on the sand.. As he was passing by he mentioned that when I got back to my cottage I should wash my feet with a bleach/water solution.. He said that most "Cape Codders" are aware of this and rarely walk "in" the water.. Whether it's true or not, I have no idea..

I never heard of this either

 

[C.Ann]

I was born and raised on the Cape as were my parents and their parents. Most of the family made their living as fishermen. I have never heard of this.

In fact, just the opposite ~ anytime we have cuts or wounds we would head to the ocean, my grandparents did it, my parents did it, and I have done it with my children.

On the other hand, my children have never been allowed to swim in fresh water after July 4th. I have found that many children here and elsewhere are more prone to bronchial and ear infections from fresh water as the weather gets warmer. We live on a pond that is tested yearly and gets very good grades ~ my kids start swimming there in April but I still don't allow them to go after summer begins

I never heard of this either

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Which is why I made a point of saying I didn't know if it was "true" or not - just repeating what was said to me..

 

[PrincessKitty1]

I've spent every available summer weekend at Florida beaches for oh, about 49 years, and have never gotten sick. There should not be significant bacteria in the water in Miami. If you were going to a Gulf beach though, I would definitely google for red tide warnings. Red tide is a type of algae that can make you sick. I've only heard of it in Gulf waters.

I get really nervous going up into the mountains since I'm from the flatlands , so I know how you feel! It's a little scary being in an environment where you don't know what to expect! Hopefully you and your family will love the beach as much as DH and I do.

 

[toledo13]

AH HAH!! I read in my Women's World (or one of those) magazines that you're at risk for the stomach bug (gastroenteritis?) if you're in WET SAND for 2 hours or so. Dry sand doesn't affect like wet does... I guess it's the sand sticking to you, causing bacteria to be absorbed by the skin since the skin is transdermal. I knew I wasn't making it up!!