Reefing_addiction
Emotional Support Corals
Yes!!!!
Portuguese Man of war washed up on a beach
- Thread starter vetteguy53081
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You forgot to hug it and squeeze it
Reefing_addiction
Emotional Support Corals
Squeeze it till it POPS!!You forgot to hug it and squeeze it
Gumbies R Us
Certified Noob
How long did the pain last? Always heard the sting was rough
Justfebreezeit
Valuable Member
Pain probably 30 minutes or so and it slowly turns to itching. Then is raised and itches for a few days.
DIYreefer
Well-Known Member
We see these guys quite a bit here on the Texas Gulf Coast. As an avid surfer, I’ve had more run ins with them than I could count. You almost get used to the sting. Don’t get me wrong, it will absolutely wake you up… quickly, but it generally doesn’t last all that long. There is another type that we see her late summer/early fall that has a much worse sting (I have scars from them). Not sure what they’re actually called, but we call them “medusas.” They’re about the size of a dinner plate (generally flat like one as well), maybe a little larger and have 4 pink rings in the center. When I start seeing those guys I’m pretty much done surfing until the first cold front comes through and knocks the water temp down a little. Their sting is far worse than a man-o-war.
Ive been on beaches where there were hundreds of them washed up when I lived in australia, they called them blue bottles there. I didnt realize until years later that the Portuguese man o war and blue bottle was the same. I would have gave them little more respect, blue bottle was such benign name for them I was never to worried about it. They have something over there called a Irukandji that's super nasty critter.
BubblesandSqueak
Valuable Member
would a house CO detector sense that?
CoastalTownLayabout
Active Member
Another interesting thing about bluebottles is roughly half a population will have their bladder aligned to the left whilst the others will have their bladder aligned to the right. Dispersion in prevailing winds is therefore mixed.
When my mom and aunt were kids they were on vacation at the Jersey shore when these things were on the coastline at the beach. My mom used to tell the story all the time -- the lifeguards called everyone out of the water but my aunt was on her back floating in the water and couldn't hear, so she was basically just floating out there with them for a bit before she realized she needed to get out of the water. Nothing happened, and nobody was hurt, but it was one of those things where they were like, wow that was close. My mom also said she remembered some of the long tentacles reaching all the way onto the beach.
Charles Zinn
Active Member
Used to live n Ft. Lauderdale, litle kids would pick up and try to eat, thought it was bubble gum. Surfing one time goy of board turning around got stumg from nerck down to navel, felt lucky t did give me a heartattack
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
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Yes. Cut one open and try it. Lol
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
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Excellence Award
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On second thought, don’t. Someone might not realize it’s a joke. But it would work if the CO did not just blow away.
DIYreefer
Well-Known Member
I got stung once by changing the tire on my truck. There were a ton of them washed up on the beach, which subsequently got run over. Then I ran over a freakin fish bone that punctured my tire. When I went to change the tire I got zapped. Was not a fun day!
edsbeaker
Grandma Has A Reef Obsession
Nightmares again tonight 
CoastalTownLayabout
Active Member
I’d rank them on the lower end of things that can cause you pain when in the ocean.
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