A floating siphonophore with a gas-filled blue float and long trailing tentacles, blown inshore by the wind.
Not a jellyfish but a colony of specialised animals living as one. The blue or pink float sits on the surface with a crest that catches the wind, and the tentacles hang below it.
The tentacles are the problem and they are much longer than most people expect. A diver at the surface can be stung by an animal several metres away, and pieces of tentacle broken off in surf still sting. A sting is severe pain in a line across the skin, and it is a medical matter if it covers a large area, if the person has been stung before, or if they become unwell rather than simply sore.
It is blown inshore by onshore wind, often in numbers. If they are on the beach they are in the water. A full suit, hood and gloves cover the skin a surface swim exposes.
This entry carries no occurrence record. The animal is listed because it is a hazard a diver should be able to look up, and its range is given above, but none of the destinations this site holds data for is inside that range. A record will be added when there is one to add rather than an estimate to invent.
