Red tide washes up on Cable Beach
A red tide has washed up on Broome's iconic Cable Beach, coating the sand and discolouring the sea with a rusty brown stain.
The red tide is the result of a cynobacteria known as trichodesmium which can cause skin irritations.
The Shire of Broome has not closed the beach.
Regional duty manager for the Department of Environment and Conservation Ben Tannock said the red tide was a natural phenomenon and the result of the sudden onset of hot days and still humid nights.
"It is a blue-green algae and conditions have been ideal for it to propagate," Mr Tannock said.
"We have had a combination of 40C days and warm humid nights. These plumes are common all year round but this is the first we have had this season."
He said red tides were common in tropical waters.
The plume, which looks similar to an oil slick, extends around 1km in length.
Mr Tannock said red tides in the Timor Sea were known to extend for hundreds of kilometres.
He said people with sensitive skin were advised to stay out of the water when a red tide was present.
The red tide is expected to dissipate later today when westerly winds break up the slick.
Red tides were first recorded in Australia by 18th century explorer Captain James Cook.
