Man O' War blown away
Beaches opened after reduction in sightings of venomous sea creature
PORTUGUESE man o’ war have been carried away from the coastline of Alicante province following a change of wind direction.
State news agency EFE reported on Monday that westerly and southerly winds had ‘improved’ the situation for the busy May Day bank holiday.
The venomous sea creatures were swept through the Gibraltar Strait into the Mediterranean Sea by successive Atlantic sea storms during the first quarter of the year.
They were first seen off the Murcia coastline in early April, with a number of them washed ashore at Calblanque beach near La Manga golf resort.
Then they were spotted in La Mata and Guardamar del Segura, before being swept northwards by winds and currents.
Alicante city hall hoisted the red flag at Playa de San Juan to keep bathers out of the water, followed by other town halls including Altea.
EFE reported that there have been no reported incidents of stings by the man o’ war in recent weeks.
The sea creature’s long tentacles deliver a painful sting which on extremely rare occasions has proved to be fatal to humans.
Councillor for beaches in Alicante city Mari Carmen de España said city hall employees had removed any man o’ war found in the water or on the beach.
Despite its appearance, the Portuguese man o’ war is not a true jellyfish but a siphonophore, which is a colonial organism made up of specialized individual creatures of the same species.
However, like jellyfish they have no means of propulsion and move according to the winds, currents and tides.
State weather agency AEMET is forecasting another change in the prevailing wind today (Friday), with the direction returning to easterly (off the sea) at least until Sunday.
This could push the man o’ war back towards the coast again.
Scientists noted that they live in cold ocean waters and are rarely seen in the Mediterranean Sea.
They are not expected to thrive off the Costa Blanca as the Mediterranean is too warm.
A report from Santa Pola town hall last week noted that they ‘would not normally be in the area for more than three weeks’.
Surprisingly, the man o’ war is a carnivore, feeding on small marine organisms.
It uses its tentacles to trap and paralyse its prey while reeling it inwards to the digestive polyps.