Man O’ War are washing ashore at New Smyrna Beach

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - Man O’ War are washing ashore at New Smyrna Beach.

"'Man O’ War,' you just don’t mess with them. Just like anything else in the ocean," Terry Bartley of New Smyrna Beach said.

While some vacationers may be surprised, the locals are familiar.

"I got stung by one not too long ago. It had a tentacle line across my arm. I didn’t have to go to the hospital or anything. It’s aggravating," Kevin O’Donnell of New Smyrna Beach, said.

The Man O’ War looks similar to jellyfish, but their sting can really pack a punch. O’Donnell knows first hand.

"It was painful, but it was more like just a weird sensation," O’Donnell said.

According to the school of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii, the best thing to do if stung by a Man O’ War is to rinse the sting with vinegar, remove any tentacles, and put hot water or a hot pack on the sting for 45 minutes.

"The Man O’ War can be very painful if you get stung by them, so we do encourage people if you get stung by a Man O’ War to exit the water and flag down a lifeguard, Tamra Malphurs of Volusia Beach Patrol, said.

Still, Kevin O’Donnell said it won’t keep him out of the water.

"You just have to be cautious. We’re in their territory. They live out there, and I don’t," he said.

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