JENSEN BEACH, Fla. — If you’re hitting the beaches this holiday, you may want to be on the lookout for man-of-war.
Not just in the water — but also on the sand.
The creatures are closely related to jellyfish, but they pack a painful punch and can even cause welts on exposed skin.
“Immediately made me think about the cartoon SpongeBob,” said Tiffany Richards who was on the beach from Port St. Lucie.
Richards is from Tennessee and caught a glimpse for the first time.
“I’ve never seen one before,” said Richards. “I thought it was super fascinating.”
Fascinating, yes. But for Dorothy Oppenheiser, who was walking on Jensen Beach, they’re frightening. She was stung a couple years ago.
“Worse than a bee sting,” said Oppenheiser. “I came out here with bare feet, so I’m going back to go get my shoes.”
Man-of-war can sting even weeks after washing ashore.
WPTV’s Tyler Hatfield spoke with Chris Dunn, a lieutenant with Martin County Ocean Rescue. Dunn said this is the season to be on the lookout for man-of-war.
“It has to do with the stronger winter storms that we get,” said Dunn. “It blows them out of the gulf stream and onto the shore.”
Purple flags warned of dangerous marine life on the beaches on Friday. But Dunn said the best way to avoid being stung is to be aware of your surroundings.
“They're real distinctive,” said Dunn. “You can see them, and so just keep your eyes peeled, and you can avoid being stung by them just by simply looking.”
