Introduction
I was on my regular beach walk the other day. The beach I chose to walk today was Sunshine Beach, which is located nearby to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.
Sunshine Beach is a beautifully open and long beach, but because it does not get that same level as protection as the more well known Noosa Main Beach, it is quite susceptible to the weather. During and after big storms, the surf at Sunshine Beach can get quite wild and dangerous.
This also means that Sunshine Beach is also quite susceptible to Blue Bottles washing onto the beach when the warm north-easterly winds are blowing. During my walk I actually stopped to have a look at these Blue Bottles close and was fascinated at just how beautiful these creatures really are.
What is a Blue Bottle?
A Blue Bottle are not actually a single creature/organism, they are a colony of four kinds of highly modified individuals. These individual creatures are often referred to a 'zooids'. Each zooid tends to perform a different function, like feeding, reproduction, stinging and digesting. However, the zooids are dependent on each other and they cannot survive apart from each other.
Types of zooids:
- Float - The first creature, known as the float, provides the major shape of the Blue Bottle. It is also where the Blue Bottle gets its name from.
- Tentacles - The second creature is the tentacles, which provides the dreaded sting. Its main function is to capture the prey and terrorize young children.
- Digestive Polyps - The third creature, also referred to as the gastrozooid, is responsible for the digestive functions of the Blue Bottle.
- Reproductive Polyps - The fourth and final creature, also referred to as the gonozooid, is responsible for the reproductive functions of the Blue Bottle.
Fear and Loathing
Blue Bottles are very unpopular and have a very bad reputation among swimmers and surfers frequenting the many beaches of the Sunshine Coast. When the warm north-easterly winds are blowing, it often results in thousands of Blue Bottles being blown into the shallow waters and onto the beaches of the coast.
There have been times when more that a thousand people in a day have had to be treated for stings that they have received while swimming or walking along the beach. There is a real danger for some people that they may experience an anaphylactic shock from a Blue Bottle sting.
The Sting and Treatment
For most adults, the pain from the sting is sore but manageable and passes quite quickly when the affected area is run under cold, fresh water for a few minutes. If the pain persists, you could also request some ice from the nearest life guard tower.
For children, the Blue Bottle experience is a lot more traumatic, especially for children under the age of five who still do not quite understand what has just happened to them. They also have no context as to how long the intense pain is going to persist for. Young children are also more at risk of getting stung on the face and neck regions when the waves wash in. Stings on these more tender locations on the body can be very painful. Once again, the treatment is the same, cold fresh water on the impacted area for a number of minutes, followed by an application of ice to numb the pain.
Fascinated
As I continued my walk, I became more and more fascinated by these incredible creatures. They are a very simple organism or should I say colony of zooids, but up close they are truly beautiful with their deep blue colour and their intricate shapes.
Don't get me wrong, I have no desire to enter the water when I know there are Blue Bottles in there, but I will happily stare at them up close and appreciate their beauty from the safe distance behind my camera lens.
Pop
Many Australian children get their own revenge on Blue Bottles that have been washed up onto the beach with a 'POP'.
What is a 'POP' you ask, well if you position your foot above the float of the Blue Bottle, but well away from the stinging tentacle, then press down quick an fast with the heel of your foot on the float, you will hear a very satisfying 'POP' sound.
Children love the thrill of popping beached Blue Bottles. I think it is the risk of getting stung, with the reward of the 'POP' noise that makes Blue Bottle popping a regular past time for beach going Aussie kids.
Have a Scroll
I may have got a bit carried away with the amount of Blue Bottle photos I took, but I like all of them, so decided to share them all. Have a scroll through all the photos and let me know what you think of these unique and fascinating creatures.
Share some of your experiences and encounters with Blue Bottles?
