Thousands of jellyfish-like creatures known as by-the-wind sailors, or Velella velella, can be seen floating off Santa Barbara’s coast and washing up on beaches across the county and the state. Usually seen around May through July, these animals are an important part of the food chain, eaten by ocean sunfish (Mola mola) and sea turtles.
The hydroids start off their lives as polyps in the open ocean, maturing and forming large colonies that drift around the sea. They are at the mercy of the tides and the wind, with their sails being their only mode of transportation. The geography of the Channel Islands and the coastline create winds that push these sailors into the channel where the massive colonies are seen by boaters and are often stranded on beaches.
Saul Lopez, aquarist at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Sea Center, says that if you see a bright-blue creature on the beach, it is best to leave it alone. Once they reach the sands, they are often dead. Because they have no way to propel themselves, if the animals are put back into the water, they will most certainly just get pushed back into shore.
Cousins to the Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish, Velella velella contain a stinging neurotoxin that is venomous and can damage soft tissues. Make sure to keep dogs, and toddlers, away from beached animals because ingesting them can cause mouth irritation and gastrointestinal distress.
They are safe to touch with hands and feet because “your skin has three layers, so you can’t feel anything,” said Lopez. “But if you were to put it in your eye or on your tongue, for whatever reason, you would totally feel the sting.”
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