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!

It's that time of year again....

The jellyfish are back like clockwork, putting in an appearance from early May and growing steadily in numbers, and size.

Recently at Freshwater East, for example, we have noticed increased numbers of barrel jellyfish and now moon jellyfish have also started to make an appearance.

Lot's of people get freaked out by these large animals, but in fact they do not sting once they have matured to this size and in fact only the very young, miniature sized barrel jellyfish will cause irritation.

Very much a seasonal arrival, these creatures will turn up as the sea starts warming and also in time for the arrival of blooms of algae, plus the arrival of hundreds of spider crabs which can be seen spawning (and occasionally eating jellyfish!) on the sea floor.

The big barrels tend to swim around 1-2m deep, so normally you can swim right over them, but sometimes they drift to the surface and if you;re not looking out for them you can swim right into them, we'd advise just being prepared and looking where you're going! If you see one, stop and look at it, learn how they move and get used to it - it will make it easier when you see them next time!

Swimming to a deserted beach on a coastal adventure swim provides opportunity for a rest and to see some cool scenery and wildlife.

Accessible only by jumping off boat and swimming to the beach, once you're on the beach it's time to soak it up and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere before moving on.

Enough time for a rest and exploration, then swim back to boat! You can see the boat waiting out in the bay, in this instance a nice 400m swim out to sea back in time for hot tea and biscuits!

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More information on our coastal adventure swims c an be found here.

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The Pembrokeshire coast is home to large number of seals who come to breed and give birth to their young.

It is possible on rare occassions that you may find yourself with a few unintended swim buddies whilst sea swimming in Pembrokeshire!

Swimming with seals is a fantastic experience, but there is a protocol to be followed should you be lucky enough to see them in the water.

Seals are intelligent and inquisitive animals and will often come over to you to check out the strange creature swimming in their ocean, usually not coming closer than 20m or so, but sometimes as in the video below, they will come right up to you.

It's important to remember though that they are large wild animals, especially the male bulls, which can be eaily 6 feet in length with powerful bodies that propel them through the water at speed.  If one approaches you, it is important to remain calm and not to make any sudden moves or behave in any way that the seal may find threatening.

They are not naturally aggressive towards humans and divers often account of how they swim up to them underwater and even nibble on the ends of their fins.  However you should never approach them on purpose and never try to touch, hold or feed them.

Seals are very powerful animals and the males will often be more unpredictable and could inflict a nasty bite if they feel threatened. The advice is to generally stay well clear of the males as it is possible they have a group of females nearby and may mistake you for another male.

Never approach pups in the water or on the beach either. This will greatly stress the pups and will also cause the mother to stay away.

In short, be sensible, and while we do not suggest to go looking for seals to swim with, sometimes they find you!  If you find yourself being watched, remain calm, respect the fact you are in their domain and swim slowly and methodically, maintaining your direction but making sure you move away from them, keeping your distance from any seals that may be on the shore.

The chances are they will want to check you out and swim around you and under you, for no other reason than enjoyment!

Go with it, enjoy the moment and then leave them be.

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.

Love them or hate them barrel jellyfish (rhizostoma octopus) are regular visitors to Pembrokeshire, sometimes in large numbers and are still around in September although not as many as in the summer months.

They are large, sometimes reaching up to 1m in diameter, and have a mass to them so if you swim into one you will know about it! The 'bell' is a soft rubbery like texture which can be pale pink or white, often fringed with purple markings.

The bell does not have tentacles in the classic jellyfish image, but instead has eight thick, filly 'arms' that dangle from the bell or 'manubrium'.

They have a mild sting but we have swum into plenty of them and are yet to be stung, certainly the bell dies not sting in any way and luckily that's what you often swim into first although they mostly swim 1-2 metres from the surface, so you would need to be quite unlucky to do so.

Overcoming Fear of Jellyfish

In most cases there's not much you can do when you encounter jellyfish in the sea unless you can spot them in advance. Luckily these bad boys are large and easily visible, so simply swim around them.

However, what we recommend, especially if they do tend to freak you out a bit, is next time you see one, swim up to it and duck down and take a look. Spend a bit of time examining it from all angles. See how they swim. Understand them a bit. This will definitely increase your confidence from then on each time you come across them.

Here's video of a swim on 1st September 2017 from Stackpole Quay to Barafundle Bay. The conditions were perfect: weather, water clarity, sea conditions.

Just outside Stackpole Quay we came across our first dogfish, a member of the shark family, commonly found around UK waters but not so much so that you often see them whilst swimming.

Just outside Stackpole Quay we came across probably 8-10 of various kinds of dogfish, in various places around the coast.

The dogfish is a member of the shark family, commonly found around UK waters, but not so much so that we often see them whilst swimming.

I just love that shark like swimming motion, which is so effortless & hypnotic. They seemed to favour the seaweed beds where they feed and are scavengers, eating pretty much anything such as worms, fish, prawns and shellfish.

They average about 15in/38cm in length although can get up to 3ft/4lbs.

Dogfish don't make particularly good eating and today are not favoured by fishermen as they need to be skinned before filleting due to their rough skin, which was once prized and used to polish wood and as a replacement for pumice.

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If you would like to experience the wildlife of the magnificent Pembrokeshire Coastal Park, why not join us on one of our guided swimming trips?  Contact us here for more details.