Sharks are getting all the bad press, but race for the arrival of another ocean danger — the Portuguese man o’ war, experts told The Post.
The jellyfish relative can show up now through August — depending on offshore winds from the tropics — and can surface from Montauk to the Jersey Shore.
Beware it’s “devastating” sting, said Paul Bologna, a Professor of Biology and the Director of the Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences Program at Montclair State University.
“It’s like walking in Manhattan. You might get mugged. That’s why you pay attention to where you are and keep your wits about you,” he said, adding, “On the beach, it’s not as bad. If you’re out in the water, they’ve got these big, long tentacles that can do some serious damage.”
The man-of-war fires barbs from its tentacles that are loaded with toxin, meant to incapacitate and kill anything — usually its fishy lunch — that brushes against it. Its cells still fire even if the critter is dead and washed-up on shore.
The sting rarely kills humans, but can cause intense pain and cause welts on exposed skin.
The Portuguese man o’ war are typically reported in New York’s marine waters “when water temperatures are at their peak,” according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Some early-arriving man-of-war were already spotted on Amagansett Beach two weeks ago when strong south swells associated with storms passed south of Long Island, the East Hampton Star reported.
Treatment of man-of-war stings is no different than other a barb from a jellyfish, according to the journal Toxins.
The best first aid is to rinse with vinegar to remove any residual stingers or bits of tentacle left on the skin, and then immerse in hot water or apply a hot pack for 45 minutes, experts said.
