“The woman suffered only a mild sting, and luckily she did not show any signs of an allergic reaction,” Prathaiyut Chuayuan, President of Phuket Lifeguard Club, told The Phuket News today (Sept 28).**
“She felt a little pain at the back of her leg and quickly presented herself to lifeguards stationed at the beach,” he said.
“A skin rash broke out where she was stung, but other than that she was fine,” Mr Prathaiyut said.
“Lifeguards at Patong Beach are monitoring the situation closely. We are concerned that more people will come into contact with these bluebottles (Portuguese man o’ war),” he added.
From Sunday through yesterday (Sept 25-27), lifeguards have collected a total of 359 Portuguese man o’ war from Phuket’s beaches.
The alarm was raised at Nai Thon and Nai Yang beaches last Thursday, resulting in Sirinath National Park Chief Kitipas Tharapibal ordering those beaches closed to any water activities. (See story here.)
By Saturday, the Chief of the Hat Nopparat Thara - Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park had issued a warning to tourists to beware Portuguese man o’ war after the dangerous stingers were found in the tourist-popular Maya Bay. (See story here.)
** UPDATE: Readers have sent in reports of scores of Portuguese man o' war at Kata and Patong beaches. Be careful out there.