Malphurs told Sorrells, officials do not pick the man o’ war up off the beach. When kids come across them, they are extremely beautiful, so people, especially kids, do want to play with them, do want to pick them up, but we tell people not to do that, they can still sting you pretty bad.” They deteriorate naturally “We tell people not to pick them up, not to play with them. “If you ever come across one and you are on the beach and it’s washed up on shore, don’t think that it can’t sting you, because the tentacles are still there, and they can still pack a powerful sting,” she said. Dead man o’ war can stingĮven if they are dead Malphurs told Sorrells man o’ war can still sting you. She said lifeguards may also advise you to get further care if your skin is extremely irritated noting, everybody reacts differently. If you are allergic she said you may experience trouble breathing. Malphurs said you will likely know if you need further medical treatment in the first 15 minutes. “The two times that I’ve been stung, I had to go seek medical care, just because the sting was so bad,” she said. Malphurs said the vinegar likely won’t help with the pain and if it persists you may want to seek medical attention like she did. She said if they don’t get them out, the tentacles will continue to irritate you. When you get there, she said a lifeguard will likely treat it with plain white vinegar and make sure the tentacles are not still embedded in your skin. That way, if it does happen, you can get out of the water and go straight to the lifeguard tower. Malphurs said it’s important to know that you could get stung at any time and to always swim in front of a lifeguard stand. Watch News 6+ in the player below for live news and original programming: They’re not life-threatening unless you have like an allergic reaction or something like that, which is pretty rare,” Malphurs said. And it’s not anything really to worry about. Most of the time, it’s just a lot of pain. And it’s a very powerful sting, it can hurt pretty bad. “Tentacles are the things that sting you. But those man o’ war, a lot of times you could see them because of that balloon-type bubble that sticks out of the water,” she said. A lot of times jellyfish are pretty clear and they’re floating just under the surface. They have a little balloon that sticks up out of the water that you can see a lot better than you can see a jellyfish in the water. “Man o’ war are beautiful, they have a blueish-purple color. Malphurs told Sorrells man-of-war and jellyfish are not the same. Typically, we usually see those in the spring and the wintertime when we have those onshore winds that stay with us for a while,” Malphurs said. So, if we get a strong onshore wind for a few days in a row, we’ll start seeing those man o’ war. “The man o’ war are at the mercy of the winds and the currents. – Small little blue balloon-type animals are washing ashore in Volusia County and while the Portuguese man o’ war may be beautiful they can pack a pretty serious sting.ĭeputy Chief Tamra Malphurs with Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue joined News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells on Talk to Tom to discuss the wildlife stinging people in Volusia County. Lifeguards were removing them as they washed ashore.VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. The city confirmed one had tentacles 16 feet long, while another had tentacles 25 feet long. The National Weather Service also sent out an alert on Thursday that hundreds of Portuguese Man o’ Wars had washed up in North Myrtle Beach. The creatures can sting whether dead or alive, and have tentacles that can grow up to 165 feet long, according to National Geographic. She said she had found about eight of the creatures Thursday, which is still more than usual. And because of everybody’s different body chemistry, Portuguese Man o’ Wars can affect people in many, many, many different ways,” Wilson explained. But that’s a whole different whacky story, right? But, alive or dead, Portuguese Man o’ Wars can sting, and it’s not a mild sting. Portuguese Man o’ Wars aren’t even true jellies. “Whether or not you know what kind of jelly it is, you have to assume that it’s going to sting. Purple flags mean sea life hazards are in the water, and you can only go in waist-deep. She said the recent storms have churned the ocean to bringing in all sorts of sea life, which is why a purple flag was flying Thursday at Grand Strand beaches.
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