man of war

It's been a while since we've hit the water so we decided to grace the beach with our presence this weekend. I had my snorkel gear packed, all revved up to go see my fish friends. The hot sun & aqua water hues were a perfect invitation for locals & tourists alike. Except I don't think the ocean was in a mood for people. It had it's defense all lined up - jellyfish & this infested water was a big deterrent. These, however, are the regular Moon jellyfish. Are there a worse kind, you ask? Sure are.

Introducing the Portuguese Man of War jellyfish. These are the ones to avoid. They invade our shores when the weather is stormy or when the waters have been unusually rough. At times they wash up on the shore & all you can see are these blue shaped balloons. The Portuguese Man of War has tentacles that can grow up to 150 feet. And this is what you want to stay away from.
LadyBug got stung by a Man of War tentacle last year. This was the first time we met them - at the beach & we were casually chatting until she thought she scraped her foot on a rock & got out. Soon her leg started to get numb & she had to go to the emerg. room. They fixed her up & then proceeded to tell her that had she been there yesterday she would have seen a diver who was brought in with Man of War tentacles wrapped around his chest. This can cause a heart attack & can be fatal. Lucky him, he survived.

LadyBug always jokes that after the numbness wore off, the circulation in her left leg has never been better & is wondering how she can get her right foot stung, bypass the pain & inconvenience in an attempt to even out the circulation. I say we revisit the war zone before she abandons us in a couple of weeks.