Living on the Gulf Coast, going to the beach is one of my families favorite past times. The spring is the best since the sun isn’t so blazing hot. But there are hidden dangers in the waters of our beaches. We have a creature that is often mistaken for a jelly fish. The Portuguese Man O War for all its beauty can be very dangerous. A clear dark blue and purple color air bag, properly called a pneumatophore, with long tentacles that can reach 30 feet and carry a poison that is very dangerous to humans. The average length of these tentacles is around 3 feet though. These creatures are found around the world in warm waters and can be in groups of thousands. The Portuguese Man O War is a food source for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle which seems to be immune to the venom. These Floating Air Bags bobs around at the surface of the water using their long dangerous tentacles to sting and kill its prey.
The venom in these tentacles, which travels up to the lymph nodes, is dangerous to humans causing a severe painful sting or even death. When swimming you can accidentally brush up against one of the tentacles and receive a nasty sting. If you see the floating airbags its best to stay clear of them. The real problem with these creatures and where most of the stings occur are actually on shore. The tentacles, even if they are detached from the body can still cause a sting for several weeks even on shore. People not knowing how dangerous they are or just out of curiosity will start playing with and poking at them, destroying the Air body, then people and pets walking on the beach will unknowingly step on the tentacles and get stung. While out at the beach recently I watched some children playing with one that had washed up on the beach, poking at the air bag trying to pop it, I and had to explain to them to leave it alone because it was and they could still get stung, even though it was no longer in the water.
The Sting, depending on its severity and the amount of venom, can cause severe pain and you may need to get medical attention. Tourists have often gotten the wrong treatment by telling medical professionals they were stung by a jelly fish, and true jelly fish have a different poison. If you get stung by a Portuguese Man O War, or anything at the beach and seek medical attention, describe what stung you, do not call it a jelly fish as these are to different animals and you may receive the wrong treatment.
There are many treatments for a sting by the Portuguese Man O War; some experts say applying hot water around 113 degrees Fahrenheit to the area eases the pain. While others say ice is better. A controversial method is vinegar; this method has proven effective in some cases but then caused more pain in others. There is also a local favorite of while standing the water rubbing wet sand on the affected area. But one thing all agree on is that if you get a tentacle wrapped on you remove the tentacle before trying any remedy as any method may cause more venom to be injected. And do not hesitate to receive medical attention; these creatures have been responsible for deaths in humans.
