Daytona Beach, FL – Watch out for Portuguese Man-O-War if you’re heading out to the beach this Christmas weekend.
Volusia County Beach Safety & Ocean Rescue says 32 beachgoers were treated for Man-O-War stings the day after Christmas.
Beach Safety Captain Aaron Jenkins says one of those people had to be taken to the hospital by paramedics for treatment of possible anaphylaxis, but that person is now fine.
“All others were treated with vinegar on scene,” Jenkins added.
Besides flying the purple flag, Beach Safety is still flying the red flag indicating hazardous rip current conditions.
“We had 3 water-related rescues to which all parties were safely taken back to shore,” Jenkins noted. “The surf is again still up 2 to 4 feet.”
That came on a day that broke another heat record in Daytona Beach, the second day in a row that’s been the case. The high reached 83 degrees the day after Christmas, breaking the old record for that date set in 1987.
Christmas Day also saw record-breaking heat in Daytona Beach with a high of 83 degrees, beating the old record of 82 set on that date in 1988, according to the National Weather Service.
Beach Safety continues to staff more lifeguard towers than normal due to the larger than normal beach crowds taking advantage of the summer-like temperature as well as a warmer Atlantic Ocean than normal for this time of year.
“Water temperature is holding steady at 70 degrees,” Jenkins said. “We encourage everyone to swim near a lifeguard and exercise caution.”
6 people were rescued from the ocean on Christmas Day, including a surfer who drifted into a pier, according to Beach Safety Captain Tammy Marris.
“We were about 90% capacity in most core areas throughout the county beaches,” Marris noted.
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