Naples Pier health advisory canceled; bacteria levels in water lower

It was uncommonly quiet at the Naples Pier on Friday morning. Usually a popular time with swimmers and anglers, the advisory from the Collier County Health Department on Thursday spooked many beachgoers.

Juan Thompson, 30, manager of the snack stand on the Pier, saw business die down after the health advisory.

"People still came out for the sunset," he said, but the usual afternoon crowd steered clear. 

More:Health advisory: Don't swim near Naples Pier until more tests done

The health department canceled its advisory Friday afternoon, but the bacteria scare kept many visitors out of the water for most of the day. 

Savannah Martin, 29, who just moved to the Naples area from Virginia, was angry after seeing the sign posted close to the staircase. She was swimming with her two sons just minutes before, unaware of the health advisory against it. 

"They should have those (signs) at all the parking lots," Martin said.

"There's people all the way down there, swimming in the water," she said pointing north, farther from the signs posted close to the Pier. 

The Health Department advised parents to keep their children out of the water and to clean out any rashes or open wounds right away if they did go in.

With mosquito season in full bloom, Martin was concerned her sons scratched-up legs might become infected by the bacteria.

The type of bacteria detected close to the Naples Pier was not known to cause any major health issues for humans, said Andrea McKinney, public information officer at the Collier Health Department.

"It's an indication that there might be fecal pollution in the water," McKinney said.

Parker Benfield, 19, who said he grew up in Naples and goes to the Pier regularly, went swimming at the Pier regardless of the health advisory.

"We already have tons of bacteria inside of us," Benfield said. "And it's the ocean, where we swim in fish waste, so does it really matter?"

Like Benfield, most of the veteran anglers on the Pier were unfazed and continued to fish.

"I ate a bunch last night," said Al Fontdevila, a deputy with the Collier County Sheriff's Office.

For Fontdevila and fellow deputies, it was business as usual, taking kids to the Pier to fish as part of their summer program.

The presence of the deputies concerned another angler, who suspected they were testing the fish for safety.

"It does concern me. We're not keeping any of the fish," said Tim Axaridis, 54, who was visiting the Pier with his father-in-law and niece.

"We came all the way from Athens, Greece," his father-in-law, Stavros Dellis, 74, added.

The family has a house in Bonita Springs and visits every year. This year, the regular rain and the recent health advisory put a damper on the holiday fun.

"We usually fish, we swim here, but this kind of took the fun out of it," Axaridis said.  

Still, Dellis appreciated the advisory.

"They're doing the right thing, keeping people safe," he said. 

According to the Collier Health Department, anglers didn't have to throw out Friday's catch. 

"Our advisory does not include the fish, so as long as it's caught and cooked properly, it should be safe to eat," McKinney said.

The Health Department will perform another routine test Monday and reinstate the advisory if necessary. 

The Thursday advisory stated a recent sampling showed bacteria levels in the water to be greater than 71 colonies per 100 milliliters of marine water. That put the beach in the "poor" range.

On Friday, the health department said Thursday's sampling showed bacteria levels of less than 10 colonies per 100 millimeters of marine water, putting it in the "good" range.