The term "sea foam" reminds me of two things: when I convinced my parents to let me paint my childhood bedroom "sea foam" green and the gruesome ending of Hans Christian Anderson's original story of The Little Mermaid. Arguably, sea foam, or spume, is one of the least memorable things about an average trip to the beach. But occasionally, when the shore gets extra foamy, I can't.. Sea foam is created when waves or strong winds inject air into the dissolved organic matter in ocean water, forming bubbles. The organic matter, mostly made of dead microscopic plants, contains a protein that gives the water enough surface tension to form bubbles. Surf and winds cause the mass to pile up in the familiar, suds-like masses.
Sea Foam at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. If you scoop up some water from the ocean in a clear glass and look at it closely, you'll see that it's chock full of tiny particles. Seawater contains dissolved salts, proteins, fats, dead algae, detergents and other pollutants, and a bunch of other bits and pieces of organic and artificial matter.. What is Ocean Foam? When we speak of sea or ocean foam, we refer to the accumulation of bubbles and froth that forms on the ocean's surface. Ocean foam can be found in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. For example, depending on its composition, the foam can be colored from white to dark brown.