Watch Out in Florida!

[cowdog77]

"Swimmers in Volusia County, Fla were warned abut swimming Friday after hundreds of Portugese men-of-war washed up on shorelines and high levels of bird feces were detected in the water."
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http://www.local6.com/news/10733595/detail.html

 

[CAPT HOOK]

Been warning about man-o-war for the last couple of weeks in WPB.

 

[Wolfie2012]

I was stung by a man-o-war when I was younger... horrible experience. Was on the beach in Hollywood, FL and saw what looked to be a plastic container on the surface...so being the environment conscious kid I was, I thought I'd pick it up and throw it in the trash. Then came the tentacles and the extreme pain. Holy crap, I can't even explain how painful it was. I had so many little blue nematocyte polka dots all over my arms, chest, and stomach that I looked like a willie wonka reject. Personally, I would have preferred becoming a giant blueberry.

In all seriousness it was not a pleasant experience, and one I'm pleased to have survived, considering the number of stings I received.

Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled Man-O-War warnings. Sorry for the slight hi-jack

 

[cudachaser]

Been stung many times by them while surfing...nasty! One time my son ducked dove thru a wave...got it from head to toe. Another time he got stung by a "box jelly" That was the nastiest sting I ever saw...his arm swelled twice it's normal size

 

[JahJahwarrior]

I'm more worried about the man-o-war than bird feces. Of course, being stung by MOW stinks...

 

[havnmonkey]

I've worked on the beach in Volusia for seven years; tourists always want us to picl them up and dispose of them... I had my left arm torn up by one while surfing... you are not gonna get me to pick them off the beach!!

It's kinda funny how the news is so slow to react when it's not sharks... we've had em for weeks just like WPB, and this year they seem much smaller than previous years.

 

[HowardE]

I saw several washed up on the beach here today (Lauderdale by the Sea)

 

[Vayu]

Siphonophores!!!