Alliance for a Living Ocean

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North Beach Haven, New Jersey 08008
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That Strange Sea-Foam
by Donald Launer

Don Launer is a member of Bay Watch, holds a USCG captain's license, and is a frequent contributor to boating magazines. He is author of the book, "A Cruising Guide to New Jersey Waters". E-mail address is: [email protected].

Sea-Foam

We have all seen sea-foam, which is sometimes called spindrift. It collects on the ocean and bay beaches and looks like a brownish-white cotton candy, or as if a washing machine were dumping its suds into the water. However, this is a natural occurrence in sea water and has been around for all eternity. It is not the result of soap-suds in the water or a carnival disposing of their cotton candy.

Sea water is a complex mixture, and when salt, protein and algae, combine in water, the water becomes more viscous. This viscosity tends to trap and hold air bubbles that result from breaking waves or water crashing against a bulkhead. Protein is primarily responsible, and salt water recirculation aquaculture systems make use of this sea water characteristic to remove excess protein from the water. This is done with a "Protein Skimmer." The Protein Skimmer is nothing more than a bubbler system. The air bubbles are trapped in the viscous water and create sea-foam, which is skimmed from the surface of the aquaculture area - along with the protein.

So when we encounter sea-foam, let's not look at it in a negative light - rather let's adopt the attitude of Ralph Waldo Emerson: In 1847, when he was gathering seashells on the beach he wrote:

"I wiped away the weeds and foam
and fetched my sea-born treasures home"