Aussie beach plagued by 'masses' of bluebottles
A popular Aussie beach has been covered in blue after thousands of bluebottles washed up onto the sand on the weekend, forcing many hopeful swimmers to stay dry and others to swim elsewhere.
Onshore winds blew the stingers onto Maroubra Beach in Sydney on Sunday and it looked like the sand was covered in clusters of shiny blue plastic from the pictures taken by beachgoers. Nippers competing at the beach had to relocate due to the risk of stings , however, in true Aussie fashion, some swimmers still chose to hit the waves.
"Randwick Council Lifeguards do not close beaches when bluebottles are sighted, but instead erect signs in and around the flags to warn beachgoers," a council spokesperson told Yahoo News about the recent onslaught of blueblottles.
Sydney man Greg Tannos told Yahoo News there were "masses of them" and it appeared the winds blew "just one big colony" on the beach. He was recently stung by one too.
🏖️ Aussies stunned by woman's unwitting act on beach
⚡️ Experts debunk popular bluebottle sting remedy
🧐 Aussie man stumped by peculiar beach find
Bluebottles float on top of the water and are at mercy of the wind thanks to their bubble-like gas filled sack. They are an unwelcome summer time visitor to many parts of the east coast and are easily recognisable from their colour — and painful sting.
It feels like an Aussie rite of passage to get stung by a bluebottle, and due to the "extremely painful sting", the experience often stays with swimmers long after the reddened marks disappear from their skin. Tannos explained the stings feel like you're "going into an electric shock in the water and then it keeps getting worse".
Up to 30,000 bluebottle stings are reported annually, however, no deaths have been recorded from the stingers.
"While bluebottle stings are very painful, they are generally not dangerous to humans," the council spokesperson said.
It is important not to rub the sting area.
Carefully remove the blue tentacles with your fingers.
Rinse the area with sea water.
Ice the area.
If hot water is available, place the affected area under the hottest water you can comfortably tolerate.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
3 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
I just discovered the '27 Fling Boogie' technique, and it finally makes decluttering fun
Decluttering is one of those tasks you know you really need to do and the longer you put it off, the worse it gets. And since you have to live amongst the mess, you can't ever really avoid it. But, the process of decluttering can be incredibly hard. It's not just about ridding your home of clutter, it's about letting go of objects you've grown accustomed to having around. Usually that 'just in case' feeling can mean you hold onto things for a lot longer than you really should, because 'just in case' never happens. And this is how I found myself in a clutter rut. The items were building up and the urge to declutter was itself becoming a cluttered space in my mind. And then, I found myself down a cleaning rabbit hole on TikTok and came across this oddly-named trend, the '27 Fling Boogie'. And honestly, it's changed the way I think about decluttering forever. The '27 Fling Boogie' is a trend created by Maria Cilley aka. FlyLady, a "personal online coach" that strives to help you clean. And so, she came up with this unusually named method that tasks you with throwing away 27 items and giving away 27 items. I've tried many a decluttering method, from 'the poop rule' to the KonMari method to Swedish death cleaning. By now, she clearly needs help tidying: "She really needs helping decluttering" and you'd be right. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. So, when I heard that the 27 Fling Boogie wanted me to run through my home gathering up items firstly with the idea of throwing them away and then to giving them away, it felt like a game I could finally get onboard with. My main problem with decluttering is how much of a chore it is and how overwhelming it can be. By gamifying the idea, the 27 Fling Boogie gave me an opportunity to stop thinking about it like a task and, really, stop thinking altogether. I quickly realized by using the 27 Fling Boogie technique, I had to focus myself onto one room or one particularly messy spot, like my wardrobe. And that's when it really started to work. Running around like a headless chicken was fun at first, but then I was struggling to find 27 items just strewn across my home and it was far too easy to ignore populated spots. And focusing my attention was the key. The 27 Fling Boogie gave me a straightforward look at what I had and less about sitting there endlessly staring at each item. It wasn't, "Should I keep it?" It was, "Throw or donate?" And, sure, it definitely did work, but I also came to the realisation that 27 was just a number that gave me a goal. Most of the time, I surpassed 27 in the throwing away pile, but came under the quota in donating – and that was totally fine. At the end of the day, I was focused on doing something with my clutter and slowly, but surely, my house became less messy without me feeling any kind of guilt – especially as I dropped off items to charity to find new homes.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tragic detail spotted on whale off Aussie coast as time runs out in rescue mission
A humpback whale remains trapped in a tangle of rope, dragging a buoy behind it, after urgent rescue efforts failed to set it free when it was first sighted just south of Sydney Harbour on Sunday. The adult whale is heading south, opposite the usual migratory path for this time of year, which is peak whale migration season. Jessica Fox, Vice President of the Organisation for Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), said that the entangled whale has rope caught on its left pectoral fin and is dragging a buoy, described as light in colour and nearly white, trailing about 20 metres behind it. She told the ABC the whale was likely to pass the coast of Port Kembla and Wollongong later on Monday morning. Earlier, the National Parks and Wildlife Service's Large Whale Disentanglement Team had been on standby, ready to intervene if conditions permitted and time allowed. Rescuing entangled whales is an extremely complex and risky process. Several key factors make these rescues difficult: the unpredictable movement of large, distressed whales, the need for precise coordination to cut ropes without harming the animal or rescuers, and the complexity of the entanglement itself, which often involves multiple lines or old fishing gear. Trained specialists must also work in open water under often unpredictable weather conditions, adding to the risk and difficulty. Fox said time was running out for a safe rescue, but she stressed the importance of any new sightings, explaining that even if the team couldn't reach the whale before nightfall, up-to-date information would help track its movement and potentially guide rescue efforts the following day. It was last seen at 2pm near South Head on Sunday. "Humpback whales would usually all be still heading north this time of year in June," Fox said. "This is very unusual to see it travelling south so early in the season, and this is why we think this whale is in distress and it's turning around and heading back to the Great Southern Ocean." 🐬 Aussie dad and son's incredible encounter while fishing 5km off coast 🛥️ Tourists witness brutal event as whales 'change their behaviour' in seconds 🛶 Warning after 'unusual sightseer' prompts calls from worried Aussies Fox said the whale had been travelling slowly, then at a rapid pace at times, signs that it's also under stress. It is not certain where the whale became entangled. Specialist whale rescuers have been analysing video footage of the entangled humpback, provided by ORRCA and members of the public. Once the whale is located, the rescue team will determine the safest boat positioning needed to catch the rope and remove it. The public is being urged to call the whale rescue hotline on 02 9415 3333 if they spot the whale. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dad Teaches How to Survive Natural Disasters, but Wanted to Do More. How Son's Stuffed Animal Inspired Him (Exclusive)
Anthony Finchum, the man behind the DisastrousHistory podcast and social media pages, has launched a new effort to support kids impacted by natural disasters Through "Operation Stuffie Strong," Anthony and his wife Kaitlin aim to deliver funds and stuffed animals to kids and families impacted by tornadoes, hurricanes, fires and more "I was not expecting the reaction," Anthony tells PEOPLE after receiving more than 40 stuffed animals and nearly $400 in donations on the first dayWhen disaster strikes, the recovery process can be both physically and mentally demanding. It can be an especially difficult time for kids, who sometimes lose everything they've ever known. Now, one content creator is using his platform to offer these kids emotional support through a new initiative. Anthony Finchum is best known online as the man behind the Disastrous History podcast and social media pages. For years, the 31 year old, who lives in Nebraska, has used his platform to teach his followers how to prepare for and survive disasters. Now, Anthony tells PEOPLE that he wants to use that same platform to help those impacted by these same catastrophes. He and his wife Kaitlin, 35, recently launched 'Operation Stuffie Strong,' which aims to bring children comfort following a disaster by providing them with a special stuffed animal. 'I think that it's important to do something like this to show that, especially kids, you're not forgotten,' Anthony explains. 'People care, people want to help, people want to give you comfort.' Originally from Indiana, Anthony has long been fascinated by natural disasters, having experienced his fair share as a child. At 18, Anthony joined his local fire department, where he helped investigate his very first house fire during a blizzard. Intrigued, Anthony eventually went to college and took a number of emergency management classes, eventually receiving a Bachelor's degrees in fire arson and explosion investigation. In his career, Anthony has done more than 700 fire investigations, and assisted with responses to both hurricanes and tornados. He has also helped run multiple migrant shelters in Washington, D.C., all of which offered him an inside look at the various facets of human suffering. Later in adulthood, Anthony says he fell into a nightly ritual of researching various natural disasters on Wikipedia. He would share his findings with his wife, who then proposed he start a podcast. Anthony agreed, and 'Disastrous History' was launched. He then created several social media accounts under the same name, where he now regularly shared detailed videos about both recent and historic disasters that have impacted the lives of thousands, if not millions, of people worldwide — from tornadoes and hurricanes to earthquakes, fires and more. Now, Anthony has amassed more than 300,000 followers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and more. With such a large following, he was eager to use his platform to 'give back tangibly to disaster survivors.' On Monday, May 19, Anthony came up with the idea for 'Operation Stuffie Strong.' He tells PEOPLE he was driving home after picking up dinner from his family when the idea suddenly struck him. 'I was thinking about, 'How can I give back to people and who can I do the most good for?' And I was thinking about [how] my son has a stuffed animal that he absolutely loves,' Anthony explains. 'It's a stuffed animal rabbit. He named it Floppy, after Floppy from Bluey." 'And I realized that if we lost our home and he lost Floppy, he would be absolutely devastated,' the content creator adds. That's when Anthony concocted the idea for the iniative. The goal, he says, is to offer kids 'some kind of comfort after they have lost everything' during what may be one of the darkest moments in their lives. 'A lot of these times, these kids are anywhere from two to 10, and the only thing they've ever known is school and home. Or sometimes just home.' Upon returning home, Anthony ran the idea by his wife Kaitlin, who enthusiastically offered to help. She quickly whipped up a website and set up an Amazon wishlist, as well as other ways for people to donate to the cause. Then, it was time to launch. Anthony posted his first video about the iniative on Wednesday, May 21, and it wasn't long before donations poured in. On the first day alone, about 40 stuffed animals had been ordered on Amazon, and nearly $400 had been donated. 'I was not expecting the reaction,' Anthony tells PEOPLE, adding, 'I don't know what I was expecting.' Most of the initial donations come with heartfelt notes from their donors, who recall the impact they felt after receiving a stuffed animal after experiencing a disaster themselves. Some donors still have their special stuffed animals today, and wanted to pass along the kind gesture to another young person. "When we had our tornado back in the '80s, my grandfather found one of my stuffed animals in the rubble and he handed it to me,' one woman wrote, according to Anthony. 'And I still have it on my mantle." Now, they're looking for families to donate to. Those seeking assistance can visit to nominate a child for a stuffed animal. Meanwhile, those who are interested in donating can visit his website, where they can find the Amazon wishlist as well as the Venmo and PayPal accounts. Anthony says he and his wife Kaitlin plan to personally package all of the stuffed animals to families in need, and write personalized notes to the recipients. They also have a crayon drawing of their son's bunny Floppy, drawn by their son himself, that will be 'included on all of the notes.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Ultimately, Anthony hopes that 'Operation Stuffie Strong' can show kids impacted by these disasters that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 'There is always hope and there is always good,' he says. Meanwhile, Anthony continues to post educational content about disasters of all kinds. By doing so, he believes he can show people how to be better prepared for a disaster, and teach them that enduring such an event 'isn't the end of the world.' 'People can come back, people recover, areas recover,' Anthony tells PEOPLE. 'They may be different than they were before, but you can move on, you can live through it. There is hope on the other side.' Read the original article on People
