The dead translucent and blue bladder peeks out under a layer of sand. Careful -- it can hurt you just as easily now as it could if it were alive and bobbing in the ocean.
The Portuguese man-of-war are back in South Florida, blown in by eastern winds after surfing the Gulf Stream. "We'd recommend that people not bury them," said Lt. Jim McCrady of Fort Lauderdale's Ocean Rescue Division. "It just hides it from the public and little kids might be digging and find it and get stung."
Though officials have seen no increase in stings this year, lifeguards called Emergency Medical Service for three swimmers suffering from stings by the jellyfish Dec. 30. Officials don't keep record of man-of-war treatment requests but track overall first-aid requests, including cuts, dehydration and stings. Lifeguards received 27 first-aid requests Thursday, followed by eight on Friday.
"It really just depends on how many people go out in the water," McCrady said. On average, a Fort Lauderdale lifeguard suffers man-of-war stings five times a year.
"It's like sticking your finger in an electrical socket, you're hit with this excruciating pain," McCrady said.
Though the eastern winds are more consistent during winter and spring, there isn't a specific season for the poisonous invertebrate's appearance, said Capt. Breck Ballou, supervisor of Fort Lauderdale's Ocean Rescue Division.
"It's year-round if the wind is blowing right," he said.
The man-of-war is named for its body structure, which resembles a 15th-century Portuguese Caravel naval ship. They range in size from a few inches to a foot wide, but their tentacles can stretch beneath the water 10 to 15 feet, said Peter Anderson, a biology professor at the University of Florida.
When a person comes into contact with a tentacle, hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny harpoon-like stingers inject poison into the skin, Anderson said. The stings could be dangerous to people with weak hearts or an allergy.