When South Australia's toxic algal bloom was first detected in March, there were hopes storms and winter weather would end it. But spring is now here, and the bloom hasn't gone away. With warmer weather arriving, the bloom means this summer is going to look very different for coastal communities and beachgoers.
00:00It's a wintry morning, but cold weather isn't enough to stop the Moana Dawn dippers.
00:10I used to see the ladies going into the water and was quite envious of them.
00:18And then when I was able to give up work then I joined them every morning and I've never given up.
00:25In the summer, 30 people regularly take the dip at the southern Adelaide beach and even on a cold winter's day there would be a dozen swimming.
00:34But while they'll brave the cold and rain, the algal blooms stopped them.
00:39There's now just two or three taking the plunge.
00:43It hasn't put me off. Most definitely has put some off. There's less of us dipping.
00:50There might be fewer people in the water, but they'll still come along for a coffee and a chat.
00:56After summer I was really pleased that we had those big storms here because I thought it might break things up and change them.
01:03Sue Oliver was the original Dawn dipper, taking a morning swim to help ease a lung condition, a daily ritual that grew in numbers.
01:11People would come past and say, you're crazy and I don't know how you do that.
01:16And we'd say, well you want to try it because it's quite euphoric.
01:20And so some of those people ended up joining us too.
01:25For Sue, it's now her health that's keeping her out of the water.
01:29She's made the decision to protect her lungs.
01:32I don't feel helpless about it, but I just have to accept that this is the situation at the moment.
01:41For people whose lives revolve around the beach, each day is a decision on whether to brave the algae.
01:47Zach Dowd is one of those people. He's a regular surfer on Adelaide's mid-coast.
01:53If you live in the city and this is the most successful point of coast to you, like, you're going to want to go and surf when there's waves, like, regardless.
02:02Zach's still getting out there, but many aren't.
02:05A surfing SA survey of more than 50 people has found more than half are surfing less, while almost a quarter have stopped completely.
02:13The algal bloom has persisted through winter, dashing hopes that the colder weather would bring it to an end.
02:19Experts say the ecosystem will eventually balance out, but it's impossible to say when.
02:28We had one of the pre-eminent international experts come and visit us, and he's had 40 years of experience in harmful algal bloom science and he couldn't even predict it.
02:41So we're starting to say it's becoming predictably unpredictable.
02:47With the bloom covering 30% of the state's coastline, it'll be an unpredictable summer for many South Australians.
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