Visitors to Palm Beach’s sandy shores should be on the lookout for annual guests that are known for their sting.
Portuguese men-of-war are appearing on beaches along the island, a common occurrence for this time of year as winds from the east blow the creatures onshore, said Craig Pollock, a longtime lifeguard supervisor for the town.
“They just blow in with the surf and the wind,” he said of the purple and blue members of the siphonphore family — not to be confused with a jellyfish — that can leave beachgoers with painful stings.
Over the past few days, the balloon-like men-of-war have been spotted more frequently along beaches in the town, often close to the shoreline. They may arrive either with others or on a solo trip. Their arrival typically follows a cold front, when the wind from the west blows them away from the shoreline, Pollock said. When winds shift back from the east, the men-of-war — buoyed by their carbon monoxide and air-filled floats — drift back toward land.
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