At least four children were among a number of tourists stung by Portuguese man o' wars on a North Carolina beach over the Fourth of July weekend.
Officials at Oak Island Water Rescue say they received numerous reports of man o' war sightings over the holiday weekend, and at least six people were stung. The tentacled sea creature has also been spotted at Holden Beach and Surf City.
Oak Island Water Rescue Chief Pete Grendze warns beachgoers not to touch a man o' war as its sting is incredibly painful.
"Ironically, they're extremely beautiful," says Grendze. "They’re this iridescent, bluish-purple. And it's so tempting for a young child to pick them up. They'll be floating along on the top of the surface with long tentacles underneath."
Grendze says those tentacles contain sharp hooks and toxins that cause intense pain once they latch onto you.
He says that if stung by a man o' war, you should try and flush the wound with water or vinegar without using your hands.
"And then they also recommend you, as soon as you can, with as hot water as you can stand, soak it for like 20 minutes," Grendze says. "And that's supposed to help ease the pain. But you may have to soak it with fresh water for several days afterwards."
Grendze adds you should report any man o' war sightings to beach personnel.