Helpless Jelly-Like Fish but don't touch - Fort Lauderdale - Florida

Helpless but please don't touch.

The Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis), also known as the Portuguese Man-Of-War, Man-Of-War, or Bluebottle, is a jellyfish-like marine cnidarian of the family Physaliidae. Its venomous tentacles can deliver a powerful sting.

Despite its outward appearance, the Man o' War is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore, which differs from jellyfish in that it is not actually a single organism, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids.[1] Each of these zooids is highly specialized, and, although structurally similar to other solitary animals, they are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.

Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin that normally last 2 or 3 days after the initial sting, though the pain should subside after about an hour. However, the venom can travel to the lymph nodes and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, a more intense pain.[citation needed] A sting may lead to an allergic reaction. There can also be serious effects, including fever, shock, and interference with heart and lung function. Stings may also cause death, although this is extremely rare. Medical attention may be necessary, especially if pain persists or is intense, there is an extreme reaction, the rash worsens, a feeling of overall illness develops, a red streak develops between swollen lymph nodes and the sting, or either area becomes red, warm and tender.

Whenever I walk along a beach I tend to have my head down a lot!!! These critters sure do scare me!!! Wonderful capture though, love the POV, reflections on the water, lovely capture Tony. Thank you for your 'forward'.

Tony, Nice light and tones. In Holland we know the jelly-fish as well in the summer. They cause a lot of troubles. Best regards, Marco

great timing with the wave and light in this shot Tony, nicely done

I really like this shot, Tony !!  It has great composition and is sharp throughout.  Excellent example of an image that makes the viewer want to spend time there and examine everything.  Love the horizontal lines made by the cloud bank above the  horizon, the horizon itself, the lines of waves and finally the foam.  Also like the positioning of the sunlight to the right of center.

I read your recent upgrade to your bio.  First off, you are one of the best photgraphers on PN IMO.  Secondly, your comments and feedback are among the best offered and I  personanlly appreciate all of the help you have offered me over the last several years.  You also pointed out a real "downside" to the rating system used here.  Even though I still occasionally submit images for rating I don't really expect much due to the large number of folks who think it is there duty of rattle of undeserved (IMO) low marks for some strange personal reason.

Anyway, thanks for sharing and please continue your feedback.

Best wishes...

Jerry

BTW I have lived in Florida for 40 years and yes, do NOT touch these guys !!

Very nice complementary colors, and I like the line of sea foam-- the bubbles seem very sharp, at this size anyway.  This is quite good for a P&S. 

Gail, Marco, Thom, Jerry and Jeff, I appreciate your visits and kind words.

Jerry:  thank you for taking the time to read my Bio and I think many photographers share our opinion on the 'downside' we discussed. On the other hand, some really good images end up as 'top-rated'. I really appreciate your thought about where I am in my photographic journey but IMHO, I still have quite a way to go before I can 'rest'. I have not visited your images recently but i will be sure to check in soon.

Jeff - thanks. I keep checking in to see if you have any new images but I am aware of your 'situation' and know that new images will be coming in the not too distant future.  On this day I carried both my D300 and my Sony P&S. One of the strengths of the P&S is good closeup combined with decent DOF. However it does not cover the dynamic range of a RAW file from a larger camera so I had to keep the direct  sun out of this image even with a built in 3 image HDR capture.

All the very best

Tony,  Like Robert Frost, you may consider yourself having miles to go before you sleep, yet you are chalking up some art along the journey.  This is another goodie.  Larry