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Man O' War Jellyfish

sarahc78

By sarahc78,
in Bermuda

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sarahc78

sarahc78

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Crud! This isnt good :mad:

 

http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110415/NEWS07/704159919

 

 

The public are being asked to use extra caution on beaches after hundreds of jellyfish and Portuguese Man o’ War have washed up on the Island’s shores.

Yesterday, members of the public told The Royal Gazette that they saw thousands of the stinging creatures along Elbow Beach.

“It was like running in a field of land mines,” one wrote. “There were no warning signs on the beach or anything so no one knew if they were dangerous or not.

“You could see a bunch in the water too, so lots of tourists were avoiding going in.”

A Government spokesman said yesterday: “It is that time of year again as we are unfortunately currently experiencing a large amount of both Man o’ War and jellyfish in out South Shore waters and beach areas.

“We would like to advise the public to take care and caution while engaging in swimming or wading in out South Shore parks, and simultaneously encourage the use of our North Shore parks as they currently pose lower risk for the presence of these marine animals at this time.

“It is important that businesses such as tour/transport agencies directly transporting clients to a National Park with ocean access are in fact cognizant of warning their clients of the potential danger of these animals.” While most jellyfish that pass through Bermudian waters are relatively harmless, the sting of a Portuguese Man o’ War can cause pain and severe welts. In large quantities, the venom can lead to fever, shock and, in rare cases, even death.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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You can pretty much count on them being around in May. bBeen there twice in May and they were there. Never saw any in June, July, August, September or October. The water is to cool to get in it anyway most of May. May is best for golf and touring in Bermuda, not beaches.

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saltmom1

saltmom1

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What is the general water temperature in early June ?

We had TONS of Portugese Men O'War on our honeymoon in August ( 25 years ago), but there was a hurricane right off the coast. We could not swim for 2 or 3 days. We stayed at the Sonesta, which is no longer there :(

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dlee1967

dlee1967

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What is the general water temperature in early June ?

We had TONS of Portugese Men O'War on our honeymoon in August ( 25 years ago), but there was a hurricane right off the coast. We could not swim for 2 or 3 days. We stayed at the Sonesta, which is no longer there :(

 

We stayed at the Sonesta about 12 yrs ago in August and could not in the water because of the Portugese Men O'War.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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We were there in August 5 yrs ago and didn't see one!

 

I guess it can be variable but most often you hear about them in May or June. That does not mean they will be there for sure in May and it does not mean they can't be there other times. The ocean is full of different critters. If people go to Horseshoe the lifeguards there keep watch and will warn swimmers if they are there. They will even tell everyone to get out of the water if it is bad. They also pick them up off of the beach if they wash up. So for people worried about them Horseshoe is a good beach to go to.

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sarahc78

sarahc78

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You can pretty much count on them being around in May. bBeen there twice in May and they were there. Never saw any in June, July, August, September or October. The water is to cool to get in it anyway most of May. May is best for golf and touring in Bermuda, not beaches.

We saw some when we were there last May in Tobacco Bay but just a handful. That article made it seem like there were tons of them though, and a lot at Horseshoe Bay.

 

I guess we will just have to cross our fingers. We found the water temperature to be just perfect in May. Nice and refreshing.;)

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lilyfrog73

lilyfrog73

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Just got back from Bermuda on the 21st and there were loads of these and jelly fish washed up on the beaches. We went to East Whale Bay and Horseshoe beach and they were all over. Horseshoe had a sign up telling you to be cautious.

1535000251_BermudaCruiseApril2011534.jpg.e947b3e45160a6665eadab1e69d2b48c.jpg

1365835608_BermudaCruiseApril2011563.jpg.c6e36c9b476c0a484908cb7171b97e43.jpg

533129183_BermudaCruiseApril2011587.jpg.1eb2b1d63660de52dc5f3935c3ba8b9f.jpg

185402359_BermudaCruiseApril2011591.jpg.cdfb0d1a4308407676f135e7a734b481.jpg

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Madison81

Madison81

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Just back from Bermuda on 4/28 and we saw jellyfish washed up at the waterline about every 3 feet or so in some areas of Horseshoe Bay beach. They ranged in size from about 2" to 1' in length, similar to the pictures already posted. We saw no lifeguards picking them up off the beach but did see the sign warning of Portuguese Man O'War jellyfish. We walked barefoot at the edge of the water, but kept a close watch on where we stepped.

 

I couldn't believe that there were actually a number of people swimming, not because of the water temps but because of all the jellyfish. They were washing up right in front of us as we walked along the beach and to the left of the main beach toward Warwick. We are also from MA and the water temp in Bermuda was 69-71f which is normal for the summer so if not for the jellyfish we would have been swimming.

 

We also cruised to Bermuda last September 11. The water was so warm and not a jellyfish in sight! Can't wait to be back in a few months so I can go swimming :)

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sarahc78

sarahc78

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Just saw some recent photos on the RCL board from a review, there were some Man of War on the shoreline but not too many.

 

Just going to keep my fingers crossed that they are gone when we get there lol

 

Luckily they do sit about the water so do have some oppurtunity to avoid them, where as regular jelly fish are under the water and hard to see.

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EastCarolina

EastCarolina

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We just got back Saturday and there were tons everywhere! They were all over horsebeach, tobacco bay, warwick, stonehole, etc. The only water on the whole island that didn't have them was the snorkel park next to the dockyard.

 

I wasn't as worried about the big ones since they were easy enough to spot in the water, but there were many that were only an inch or two across and had tentacles that looked like fishing line and were barely visable.

 

We stayed out of the water but had a great time!

 

We did talk to a local who said that they only last a few weeks.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Dolphins

Dolphins

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For anyone that has been to Bermuda lately, are you still finding that there are the Portugese Men O'Wars? We go June 5th. Hopefully there won't be many then??

 

Thanks

Angela

 

Why not join our June 5th Gem Roll Call? We should have lots of useful information for you before we sail and at our Meet and Greet.

 

Herb

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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For anyone that has been to Bermuda lately, are you still finding that there are the Portugese Men O'Wars? We go June 5th. Hopefully there won't be many then??

 

Thanks

Angela

 

Even if they were there lately or not there now three weeks away can be completely different.

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smilz

smilz

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Just back today. We spent 3 days in Bermuda. No sign of any man of war anywhere on Horseshoe Bay! We did see several dead ones on the glass beach and 2 in the sound by the aquarium but they may not have been alive. have a great trip. Bermuda is beautiful and the water is great!!!:D

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JAKE3337

JAKE3337

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Why not join our June 5th Gem Roll Call? We should have lots of useful information for you before we sail and at our Meet and Greet.

 

Herb

 

Sorry, I should have mentioned that we will be on the Celebrity Summit. I think we are both in port for the same three days.

 

Angela

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