Wish I had known this when I was a kid on the west coast of Mexico and got stung many times. 1) Do not walk barefoot on a beach in a coastal area where Bluebottles are known to live. Even though the Bluebottles seem dead on dry land, their sting is still painful. 2) If locals warn you of the Bluebottles, understand that when these creatures are in the ocean or on land, they are often hard to see, since they are basically invisible in certain situations. Also, they may be wrapped up in kelp and seaweed that lodges on land that you might accidentally step on or touch. 3) Do not let your child EVER play near a coast OR on a beach where these Bluebottles are known to wash up on, it is NOT worth the risk and pain of getting stung. Children (and even adults) have difficulty avoiding these almost see-through animals. 4) The almost invisible tentacles may wrap around the exposed body part and sting upwards (or downwards) in a spiral line. This is VERY painful and as many "red dots" that occur on the skin are like having been stung by a bee. In summation, be careful with yourself; BUT BE very careful with the health of your children. Take them immediately to a place where they can get treatment if they eventually have an allergic reaction. As a child, my pain was not taken seriously, and I was not given any medical treatment or relief for the pain for the 3 stings I inadvertently got on our "vacation". On the upside, my father foolishly gave a waiter a $25.00 tip for 2 sodas and would not listen to me or my brother as to his error in computing the currency AND he ended up backing up his old Cadillac and boat trailer into the bay, because he was too impatient to wait for the tide to bring his little sailboat closer to shore. Just Karma at its best!!
Wish I had known this when I was a kid on the west coast of Mexico and got stung many times. 1) Do not walk barefoot on a beach in a coastal area where Bluebottles are known to live.
Even though the Bluebottles seem dead on dry land, their sting is still painful. 2) If locals warn you of the Bluebottles, understand that when these creatures are in the ocean or on land, they are often hard to see, since they are basically invisible in certain situations. Also, they may be wrapped up in kelp and seaweed that lodges on land that you might accidentally step on or touch. 3) Do not let your child EVER play near a coast OR on a beach where these Bluebottles are known to wash up on, it is NOT worth the risk and pain of getting stung. Children (and even adults) have difficulty avoiding these almost see-through animals. 4) The almost invisible tentacles may wrap around the exposed body part and sting upwards (or downwards) in a spiral line. This is VERY painful and as many "red dots" that occur on the skin are like having been stung by a bee. In summation, be careful with yourself; BUT BE very careful with the health of your children. Take them immediately to a place where they can get treatment if they eventually have an allergic reaction. As a child, my pain was not taken seriously, and I was not given any medical treatment or relief for the pain for the 3 stings I inadvertently got on our "vacation". On the upside, my father foolishly gave a waiter a $25.00 tip for 2 sodas and would not listen to me or my brother as to his error in computing the currency AND he ended up backing up his old Cadillac and boat trailer into the bay, because he was too impatient to wait for the tide to bring his little sailboat closer to shore. Just Karma at its best!!