Despite its resemblance to a jellyfish, the bluebottle, also known as the Portuguese Man o’ War (Physalia physalis), or in Thai “Mang Ga-proon Fai Muak Portuget” (แมงกะพรุนไฟหมวกโปรตุเกส) is not a jellyfish, but a type of colonial organism known as a siphonophore.
Vitanya Chuayuan, deputy head of the Phuket Lifeguard Association, confirmed that bluebottles have been spotted only at Naithon Beach thus far, in the water and on the sand, but not at any other beaches, yet.
The bluebottles are easily recognised by the air bladder from which the creature hangs, drifting around the ocean pushed by wind and tides, its long, blue tentacles trailing below.
These tentacales can deliver a very painful, and sometimes fatal, sting.
“Please be careful in the water, especially at Phuket's northern beaches, as the bluebottles are common here every year from June to October,” Ms Vitanya added.