Bay County flying purple flags, warning of potentially dangerous sea life

BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – Beach-goers normally rely on the beach flag system to tell them if surf conditions are too rough for swimming.

The flags range from green to yellow, red, and double red signifying that beaches are closed. But occasionally safety officials will hoist another color flag.

“If you see a purple flag beneath the top flag, that’s going to be for jellyfish. So that’s for when you come to the beach, you already have an expectation of what to expect,” Beach Safety Director Daryl Paul said.

Right now, there’s an influx of what’s called sea nettles. They are small, pointed creatures that look and feel like splinters poking you.

Officials say your best protection is the apparel you choose.

“See about wearing some long sleeve or long pants when you’re in the water to just those body suits to kind of help protect yourself,” Assistant Chief of Emergency Services Jessica Lumdeem said.

If you are stung, you’ll experience red blistering, rashes, throbbing, and itching on the affected area.

“Try to soak it in that seawater as soon as you feel like you’ve been stung to try to see if you can get some of those tentacles removed if there’s anything still there. Try to use a gloved hand or some tweezers to get anything out that might still be remaining in your arms,” Lumdeem said.

Beach safety director Daryl Paul encourages swimmers to stay near a lifeguard and ask about the flag warnings.

“The lifeguards are going to want to talk to you. He’ll seek you out and want to tell you about rip currents. He’ll want to tell you about the beach flags and just anything going on for the day that you should be aware of,” Paul said.

Paul says the jellyfish will remain in the area until a storm front creates enough wind and currents to move them out of the area.

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