Swimming in algae: Would you fancy this?

Would you take a swim here? Thousands of tonnes of seaweed won't deter tourists at this popular beach in China and the beachgoers have been spotted happily swimming, splashing around and even covering themselves in the thick green algae.

A large quantity of the non-poisonous green seaweed, enteromorpha prolifera, hit the Qingdao coast over the past few days and more than 20,000 tonnes of it has already been removed from the city's beaches since the start of June.

The green stuff, known as sea lettuce, is supposedly good for the skin and can be eaten to help lower blood pressure.

But volunteers will have to work on removing the seaweed before it rots as it will produce large quantities of toxic gas, hydrogen sulphide.

Browse all our pictures of Chinese beachgoers swimming in the green algae...

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