- February 22, 2025
While sea-friendly locals are likely familiar with the infamous — and venomous — Portuguese Man-of-War, few have come quite as close as Ormond Beach resident, photographer and surfer Walker Fischer.
"When I was a teenager, I body surfed into a Man-of-PWar near the Granada Approach, head first," he said in an email. "The pain was indescribable. I went into shock. I was fortunate to be driven to a nearby medical facility before I stopped breathing."
Fischer was hospitalized for two days and carried the stinger scars for weeks. According to Fischer, the story made the Daytona Beach News-Journal as "the worst case they'd ever heard about in Daytona Beach."
Fischer was reminded of his teenage trauma this past week, after he noticed numerous Man-of-Wars washing up on Ormond Beach. According to Captain Tamra Marris, public information officer for the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue, there have been 92 reported jellyfish stings over the past week in the county.
"It doesn't really have anything to do with the time of year," Marris said. "They're just at the mercy of the wind and the current, so they can show up at any time."
Fischer himself felt compelled to get the word out about the dangers of this particular kind of jellyfish because with the ocean being warmer, people are more likely to swim.
"There are a lot of people swimming, unaware of the potential danger other than the lifeguard's purple flags," he said. "Being stung is like being set on fire. These guys are dangerous. People have died. And contrary to what is commonly asserted, you don't have to be allergic to suffer the horrendous symptoms if stung. Children and seniors are particularly vulnerable."
When The Ormond Beach Observer spoke with Marris on Jan. 4, they had not seen any more Man-of-Wars washed on the beach and removed the lifeguard's purple flag, which serves as a warning for dangerous sea life.
