(Above) Walking onto the beach from the parking lot of High Tower Beach Park, guests enter a dock which leads visitors to the beautiful beach. Once they reach the end of the docks you can often see photographers taking photos of the surfers as they ride the massive waves. These waves have long breaks that can sometimes reach up to 200 meters because of the high tides. This makes High Tower Beach Park a great surfing spot for learners and advanced surfers. Even surfers in Lake Highland come here because of the high tides and big waves that are 3-4 feet that have long breaks that can sometimes reach 200 meters because of the high tides. Joseph Prado and Alex Wade, two surfers at Lake Highland, love to come here because of the beautiful waves and beach.
The Atlantic Ocean consistently has shown issues for ecosystems over the years with its constant large amount of seaweed. According to CNN Climate and the University of South Florida, the seaweed surge has increased widely up to, “31 million tons.” This year, the seaweed bloom headed towards Florida and has caused issues and benefits for the ecosystems in Satellite Beach. The negative side of the seaweed is that it has captured the turtles’ nesting areas and prevented them from hatching and escaping to sea. The Sea Turtle Preservation Society worked hard with professional volunteers to free baby turtles from the seaweed to save these green Loggerhead Turtles that are native to Satellite Beach. This then gives turtles a chance to escape from the traps of the seaweed. Satellite Beach is devoted to conservation, so they work hard to ensure the beach stays clean. Recently, the large amount of seaweed has actually benefited the beach because it can actually help catch trash that is in the water and on the beach, allowing people to find the plastic easier and clean it up. Although seaweed causes problems for the turtles, this seaweed helps the beaches stay clean and keep the surfing culture high. Satellite Beach, specifically High Tower Beach Park has a very strong surfing culture with groups of surfers coming out and surfing with up to 10-foot waves. These surfers are committed to having fun but also keeping the beach clean so they make sure that the only trace they leave is their footprints as they ride the waves that they work hard to preserve.
(Above) The seaweed, although it can cause harm, has benefits because of its natural ability to capture things. The seaweed often grasps onto trash and brings it onto shore, making it easier for people to find and collect trash before sea turtles do. When sea turtles see trash they often mistake it for food which then can cause blockages, starvation, and even can cause the rupturing of internal organs. According to World Wildlife, even if they live, “Consuming plastic can make turtles unnaturally buoyant, which can stunt… growth and lead to slow reproduction rates.” Because of the recent seaweed surge, Satellite Beach is still recovering and has leftover seaweed. This has allowed trash to be easily collected benefiting environmentalists and turtles keeping their beach free. (Vivica Lane)(Above) This is a picture of the entrance to Satellite Beach from High Tower Beach Park. This beach is a conservation-focused beach that makes sure that its animals and plants are protected all around, from the ocean all the way to the sand. During nesting season, they have multiple rules to ensure that the sea turtles have a safe nesting period. They have restrictions on beach fires to reduce light distraction for sea turtles when nesting. During nesting season, light disorients sea turtles direction causing them to move away from the ocean. This then can prevent these hatchlings from escaping out to sea to begin their new life. (Vivica Lane)(Above) The Seaweed in Satellite Beach is called Sargassum. Sargassum is a common seaweed that washes up on Florida beaches from the Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea is a region of the North Atlantic Ocean and is surrounded by currents and no land, so it travels easily. As this seaweed rots, it releases hydrogen sulfide that smells like rotten eggs. This seaweed, although it can trap trash, is irritating to the skin because of the tiny sea creatures that live in it, causing rashes. From the seaweed surge lots of seaweed washed across the dunes trapping many hatchlings inside. (Vivica Lane)
Vivica Lane is a 9th grader at Lake Highland Preparatory School and is a new addition to the Twice-Told Tale staff. Vivica loves spending time with friends and family, listening to music, drawing, and playing soccer and lacrosse. Vivica has played soccer since she was three and lacrosse since she was six. She hopes to continue this commitment through high school as well as pursue her interests in science, psychology, and much more. She also loves to read magazines in her free time as well as design layouts, so she joined Lake Highland’s newspaper to pursue that hobby and uncover the tricks of journalism. Vivica’s favorite magazine is Scientific American, and she hopes to write for it one day.
