EnvironmentAustraliasea foamFroggy's Beach

Giant Waves Of Sea Foam Blanket Beach After Powerful Storm Hits Australia

The storm killed at least four people and caused major damage.
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By 

Senior Editor, HuffPost

Days after a powerful storm ravaged Australia's eastern coast, footage of a man being enveloped by giant waves of sea foam surfaced on social media.

Thick sea foam, as seen in the video below, is a rare phenomenon that can occur after big storms or cyclones, according to the BBC. It forms naturally when wind or waves stir the ocean, mixing up the salt water's proteins, dead algae and other tiny particles.

Local Grey Leyson filmed the foam on Saturday at Froggy's Beach near Coolangatta, Australia.

While the foam looks inviting, locals told BBC that people usually stay away after big swells because sea snakes have been known to wash up on shore.

"The biggest hazard I suppose is sea snakes, there are a lot of sea snakes that get washed in from out further," Leyson told the Brisbane Times. "You are very unlikely to get bitten by one, but if you do, they are pretty venomous."

Sea snakes, however, were far from the biggest concern as the storm rattled through parts of New South Wales, causing flooding and destructive 17-feet surf. Four people died and three people have been reported missing, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company.

Thousands of people were also forced to evacuate their homes as high tides destroyed beachfront properties and heavy rains threatened residents living near Narrabeen Lakes in Sydney.

Conditions over New South Wales and Tasmania weakened by Tuesday as the storm passed.

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Before You Go

5 Of The Deadliest Weather Disasters Of 2015
Heat wave in India(01 of05)
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A heat wave in India in May killed about 2,500 people, UN data shows, largely in the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With temperatures hovering around 120 degrees Fahrenheit for days, it's been declared the fifth-deadliest heat wave on record.

Many of the victims who died from dehydration and heat stroke were poor farmers and construction workers who couldn't afford to stop working outdoors despite the dangers, as well as elderly people living in poverty.

The brutalizing heat melted asphalt in New Delhi, photos showed, turning road markings into a swirling mess.

In the photo above, taken during the heat wave, overheated passengers waiting for a train at Allahabad junction lay under the platform's shade. (credit:Pacific Press via Getty Images)
Heat wave in Pakistan(02 of05)
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A heat wave in Pakistan, just weeks after the deadly one in neighboring India, killed 1,229 people in June, mainly in the southern port city of Karachi, UN data shows. Some estimates on the death toll from Pakistan were slightly higher.

Pictured above, Pakistanis attend a funeral in Karachi for unclaimed people killed by the insufferable heat. Temperatures as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit sent more than 65,000 heatstroke patients to hospitals.

The heat wave, The Associated Press noted, struck during Ramadan, during which the the city's Muslim majority observes dawn-to-dusk fasting. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Floods and landslides exacerbated by Cyclone Komen(03 of05)
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Heavy monsoon rains made worse by Tropical Cyclone Komen in August killed at least 493 people and displaced millions in six Asian countries, The Weather Channel reported. The devastating weather event brought more than three feet of rain to parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar, and triggered deadly flooding in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Vietnam over two weeks.

The flooding was so bad in India, it derailed two trains carrying up to 1,600 passengers and killed dozens, CNN reported.

In the photo above, a boy swimming southwest of Yangon, Myanmar, accepts food from people handing out donations. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS/Khin Maung Win)
Flooding in Malawai(04 of05)
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Flooding in Malawi in January claimed 276 lives, UN data shows, and forced President Peter Mutharika to declare half of the densely populated country a disaster zone.

Nearly a quarter-million people in Malawi were affected, including 230,000 injured, according to data collected by The Guardian. The floods ravaged about 158,000 acres of land and were estimated to have cost the nation about $51 million in damage.

In the photo above, family members wait outside their home for relief teams in the southern district of Chikwawa, Malawi. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS/Thoko Chikondi)
Flooding in Chile(05 of05)
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Highly unusual floods in Chile's Atacama desert in March left 178 dead, UN reports show. The Weather Channel described it as "over 14 years' worth of rain in 24 hours" and said the flooding was the most extraordinary weather event so far in 2015.

Chile President Michelle Bachelet said the damage would total at least $1.5 billion in the region, which is typically one of the driest places in the world.

In the photo above, a woman in Copiapo, the capital of the Atacama Region, rests on a mattress on a street overcome by mud and floodwaters. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS/Aton Chile, Marcelo Hernandez, File)
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