Reports of Infamous Portugese Man 'o War Spotted on Freshwater East (and other) beaches in Pembrokeshire...

Here's a bit of interesting info from Wikipedia!

"The Portugese Man 'o War is a marine hydrozoan of the family Physaliidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Despite its appearance, the Portuguese man o' war is not a true jellyfish but a siphonophore, which is not actually a single multicellular organism (true jellyfish are single organisms), but a colonial organism made up of many specialized animals of the same species, called zooids or polyps. These polyps are attached to one another and physiologically integrated, to the extent that they cannot survive independently, creating a symbiotic relationship, requiring each polyp to work together and function like an individual animal."

How amazing is that??

Basically, it's an air sack with stinging tentacles...

The stinging polyps dangle beneath the air sack that floats on the water surface. At the top of the air sack there's a rigid 'sail' that catches the wind and they move around the oceans by wind power.

They can contract the air sack a bit, to move the 'sail', if you see one on the beach and it's still alive watch it closely and you will see the sack contracting and relaxing as the wind blows on it.  But other than that they're at the mercy of the wind and often get blown on shore during October in stormy conditions.

The good news is: as they float on the surface of the water they can be seen if you are swimming.

If like me you like swimming in the autumn, if there have been sightings then stay well clear of anything you see floating on the surface including tangles of seaweed or driftwood, which may also have one of these tangled inside. The stingers can extend for quite a few metres (up to 20m if it's a large one) so sight regularly and avoid rough conditions when they're around that may inhibit how far/well you can see.

Autumn is a fantastic month for sea swimming. The water is still warm and the visbility is often superb. Don't sightings and the hysteria that goes with it put you off going in, but be aware. This is one time when social media can help - you will invariably get to hear they're around very quickly.

What Do I Do if I Get Stung?

Generally the advice is the same as for all jellyfish related stings:

• Don't use your hands to remove the stingers, use a twig, bit of seaweed, a pebble, or anything at hand.
• Don't scratch or rub the affected area as this will trigger more stings.
  
• Flush the affected area with sea water, not freshwater, which can apparently aggravate the sting.
• Put the affected area in hot water as soon as you can - as hot as you can handle - until the pain subsides. If it's not possible to submerge the area, then soak a cloth in hot water and use that. For this reason, it may be advisable, especially if Portugese Man 'o Wars have been spotted, to carry a thermos of hot water in your car/beach bag. (Tip: do this by default - hot water is the go-to cure for all jelly fish stings).
• Seek medical attention to be safe, especially if you feel feint or experience respiratory difficulties.
  

Avoidance is the best strategy. Just use a bit of common sense and be careful.

There were a load washed up in beaches in the western UK in 2018 too, and now 2019, so it does look like they can potentially (not always) be considered as a regular visitor as they get blown onto western UK shores following big storms around the Azores during the autumn months; but in truth they usually go as quickly as they appear and they're never here for more than a week or two.

Accept them for what they are but give them the respect they deserve. Check them out if you see one on land and appreciate their beauty, they're really quite amazing creatures!

Luckily, most jellyfish in the waters around Pembrokeshire are harmless and their stings are mild, similar to a nettle sting.

Late September however saw the arrival of quite a few 'Portuguese Man o War' jellyfish.

Although not common in the seas around Pembrokeshire they're not unheard of, but do sometimes get blown in from deeper waters due to the fact that they float on the surface and have a kind of sail along the top of the airbag.

Whilst they are very intriguing and beautiful creatures they do pack a potent sting.

They can also sting even when they've been washed up onto the beach so the recommendation is to avoid them at a distance and do not touch them a walk on them on the beach and to keep your dog away from them.

The same applies obviously if you see one floating in the sea, luckily it will be visible, however in choppy conditions this will be difficult. The tentacles can also grow quite long so the Portuguese man-o-war may not be anywhere near you but you could swim into their tentacles.

As sea swimmers we need to know and understand the types of animals that we will come across in the ocean and in the case of those animals that could harm you, it is useful to know how to avoid being harmed or to treat any stings you may get.

Whilst researching this blog it was clear that you can search through 20 different websites and get 20 different opinions on how to treat jellyfish and Portuguese man-o-war stings!

Common treatments however do pop up in most of the research sites including the more trusted ones from the likes of the NHS.

Many refer to using vinegar, the acetic acid being the main treatment in breaking down the venom; however many reputable websites to discredit this and say that it doesn't work. Neither does urine, although I have my own theory that it has perhaps 'worked' for some people, hence the urban myth, not because of the content of the urine, but the warmth. See below!

The most common agreed upon solution appears to be heat treatment, which is a tried and tested treatment for other stinging critters such as as other jellyfish and also the weaver fish.

The heat breaks down the toxin far more rapidly than if you were to leave it untreated.

However we have noticed many websites stating that you should not wash stung areas with fresh water but use salt water, which implies that any hot water you use should be salt water too. If you're swimming in the sea then access to hot water is difficult enough, and it is unlikely that you will be able to do this using seawater.

The preferred method is to use some kind of heat pack, but if this is not available you could use hot water poured over a towel and then wrap this around the affected area.

Do not rub the affected the area and any circumstances as this will often fire off more toxin.

As with any other serious injury you may receive, the general advice is to seek medical assistance just to be safe.

That said, these creatures are rare in British waters, normally preferring warmer zones, so our advice is not to panic or avoid going to the beach or into the water, but just keep an eye out and avoid bumping into or touching anything you are not sure of. 

If you do get stung, apply heat as quickly as possible.

We recommend keeping a flask of hot water in your car so that you can carry out the heat treatment to alleviate the pain, then seek medical assistance.