Well, here's another reason to avoid the beach! (I've got many, but I'm not outdoorsy.) I've been at the beach when this has been present. It's NOT pretty or safe.
After someone takes a massive poop, they try to flush it down, but something goes wrong! Instead of the feces, piss, toilet paper, and toilet water all flushing down, it begins to rise up. But it doesn't overflow out of the toilet. Instead the concoction sits in the toilet bowel, not going anywhere. The person flushing then tries to it again thinks, "Maybe it time it will work this time." So optimistic in a dire time, but look!! It does flush down! Crisis averted; however, there is a fecal residue ring left around the toilet bowl where it had been stagnating. That, my friend, is brown tide.
I believe Australia is having major concerns regarding farm fertilizers being released into the oceans as well.
This link works: [bbc.com]
Sewage?
Nitrogen from sugar plantations and such encourage excessive growth of the algae