Small creatures with a big sting, Portuguese man-o-wars, have been washing ashore along South Fork beaches this week.
Portuguese man-o-wars sport a transparent float that looks like a clear dumpling or empanada, below which dangle long stinging tentacles that can grow anywhere from 30 to 100 feet long. "I call them sea pests," John Ryan Jr., the head lifeguard for East Hampton Town, said by phone on Thursday. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while they look similar to jellyfish, man-o-wars are instead "a species of siphonophore, a group of animals that are closely related to jellyfish."
They are uncommon here this early in the season, but Mr. Ryan says the strong south swells associated with storms that passed south of Long Island this week, could be responsible for their unwelcome entrance just before the holiday weekend.
"When we get storms like that, it can push them up into our waters or onto the beach. We haven't received any reports of people getting stung yet, but certainly we're ready to deal with that. We have spray bottles of diluted vinegar. If you get stung, you want to rinse it for 30 seconds with vinegar. Then you need to immerse the area in hot water for 20 minutes, to remove the tentacles."
"They're hard to see because they're clear," said Mr. Ryan. "I remember someone pulling a tentacle from their face once. It was like they were pulling at an invisible string. I always remember that."
The lifeguards have solar showers, big black bags that heat up the water inside, hanging from the lifeguard stands. "They're not a lifeguard shower. They're for people who got stung," he said
The treatment for a regular jellyfish sting is the same. Vinegar and water, as hot as you can stand it.
Neither he, nor Drew Smith, the head lifeguard for East Hampton Village, had ever been stung by one.
"We typically get them in August," said Mr. Smith. He said if beachgoers spot one they should stay away and alert a lifeguard. A beached man-o-war will still sting. "We go down with a shovel and remove them," he said. None had been reported at a village beach yet.
"If they're on the beach, then they're in the water," said Mr. Ryan. "Just be alert in the water. If a tentacle hits your leg, you'll feel it. In the surf they can break apart, but those tentacles still fire. You generally don't see it; you feel this sting."
"Depending on the species, they can deliver quite a shock," said Mr. Smith. "With a man-o-war sting, we'd probably contact E.M.S. and have a higher medical authority take a look."
More dangerous than the man-o-war, and far more common, are the rip currents that have plagued the beaches in the past week, leading to three straight days of red flags earlier in the week. Mr. Smith said the village lifeguards had seen an increased number of saves early in the season. "We always recommend people review the rip current information posted at our beaches. And swim in front of a lifeguard stand."
The ocean was calmer by Friday. For those who want to check conditions in advance of a trip to the beach, East Hampton Town lifeguards post surf conditions daily on their web page. Click here for today's surf report.
