Mr Somporn Wareekul, chief of the OrBorJor lifeguards, announced yesterday (Sept 22) that his team discovered a number of Portuguese man o’ war washed at Nai Thon Beach. He said, “We collected at least 10 from Nai Thon Beach. Its crest is clear and the body is blue. The tentacles on some were nearly 2 metres long.
“Portuguese man o’ war are poisonous, and if you come into contact with them while swimming or walking on the beach the venom can cause severe pain, sometimes worse if someone has an allergic reaction to it.
“We immediately told tourists not to enter the water and not touch the creature if found on the beach.
“If you get stung by a Portuguese man o’ war or jellyfish, you can wash the affected area with salt water,” he said.
“This is monsoon season so rainstorms and wind always bring jellyfish and other marine creatures to shore, so the OrBorJor lifeguards are always on the lookout for such creatures.
“Today we have spotted box jellyfish and Portuguese man o’ war at Kamala, Nai Thon, Surin, Layan, Nai Yang and Mai Khao beaches. However, the highest number were found at Nai Thon beach,” he added.
Mr Somporn also said that he had notified local officials and the Phuket Beachguard Service about the discovery and told them to check their respective areas.
The Phuket Beachguard Service staff told The Phuket News this morning (Sept 23) that they have not received any report of any jellyfish on Phuket’s beaches so far but lifeguards on each beach are constantly patrolling their areas.