‘Never seen anything like it’: Local wake up to foamy beach phenomenon

A night of wild weather has turned a popular Adelaide beach into a sea of foam.

Henley Beach, located west of Adelaide’s CBD, resembles a washing machine today in a watery phenomenon that is yet to be confirmed as part of the coastline’s ongoing algal bloom.

High tide at 6am today dragged the bubbly foam past the shoreline, bringing it up to the sidewalk and across the carpark.

LIVE UPDATES: Police search rural Victoria for alleged cop killer

The scene confused some locals on their early morning walks.

“Oh, it’s just incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it,” one told 9News.

“It’s coming right up over the edge of the walkway, and it’s just really foamy.”

The state Department of Environment and Water said it is unclear if the foam is algal bloom.

According to Ocean Watch Australia, most sea foam is not harmful or toxic and can be an indication of a “productive ocean ecosystem”.

However, large algal bloom decaying near the shore can be toxic.

“During blooms popping sea foam bubbles are one way that algal toxins become airborne,” Ocean Watch notes on its website.

“The resulting aerosol can irritate the eyes of beach goers and poses a health risk for those with asthma or other respiratory conditions.”

Similar scenes were captured at Moana Beach further along the coastline in Adelaide earlier this year.

South Australia’s harmful algal bloom continues to devastate the coastline after it first erupted in March.

Christies Beach, Port Noarlunga, and Carrickalinga are the most recent locations to be impacted by the bloom.

The federal government recently committed millions of dollars into a “game-changing” testing laboratory to curb the bloom.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.