Hundreds of jellyfish wash up on Central Coast beaches

The wind might be keeping most people away from Central Coast beaches, but it’s bringing a new sea creature in.

Velella Velella … it’s sort of a romantic sounding name. These jellyfish-like creatures have recently been found all along the shore of Asilomar State Beach. While they’re here for now, these sea critters are far from home.

These creatures are often referred to as ‘by-the-wind sailors’. They have a sail-like piece of their body that sticks out above the water. They get their name because they are blown around by winds on the open ocean.

With the blustery conditions we’ve seen these past few days, those little sails have been put to work. Kevin Raskoff is a professor at The Monterey Peninsula College. He says, “But when the winds and the currents are just right … they get blown close to the shore, and they can come up to the beaches in incredible numbers.”

These little guys typically live far out at sea. While we don’t see them every day along the Central Coast, it’s not unusual during our windy seasons. Unlike most sea life, this animal lives above the surface of the water. And as it turns out, it’s not just one creature. “The animals are sort of drooping down below. It’s a colony of creatures that are coordinated together, living on kind of an upside down floating Island,” says Raskoff.

While this creature looks a similar to a man o” war jellyfish, this one is not nearly as dangerous to humans.