Many have been sighted over the last couple of weeks.
Several individuals of the species ‘Physalia physalis’ (Portuguese Man of War) were detected this Friday at Praia Formosa. According to the GelAvista monitoring platform , in recent days organisms of this species have been sighted at several other points along the coast of the Madeira archipelago, such as the port of Funchal, Funchal Bay, Royal Savoy, Praia do Vigário, Cabo Girão (Câmara de Lobos), natural pools and beach at the port of Seixal (Porto Moniz) and Ponta da Calheta (Porto Santo).
According to the GelAvista platform, people should be very cautious when they come across specimens of the ‘Portuguese Man of War’ species. Influenced by winds and surface currents, it is frequently sighted on the Portuguese coast. It has a “balloon”-shaped float that is blue and sometimes has lilac and pink tones. Its tentacles can reach 30 meters in length and are very stinging, capable of causing serious burns. Therefore, it is important to remember not to touch individuals, even when they appear to be dead on the beach.