There must be thousands of them in this picture.
Stranded along the Oregon Coast on July 21, 2014.
They are called Vellela Vellela (that’s a real mouthful) or sometimes by their nickname: by the wind sailors.
It turns out, they are a kind of cousin to the Jellyfish.
Don Best snapped these photos on his walk along Rockaway Beach. He’s not the only one who has been seeing these Jellyfish like creatures along the Oregon Coast, as you can see in this article from KGW-TV
 In all my trips to the coast–I’ve never seen these. Have you? And if so, where and when?
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Would not make a pleasant beach walk; probably smelly too.
Hope it isn’t a foreboding of another ocean/planet crisis.
I used to always see them every few years on the beaches south of San Francisco (San Gregorio, Pescadero, etc.) I knew them as Purple Sailors. I’ve not seen them in Oregon since I moved here ~15 years ago.
I have seen these before but not for over three decades. I grew up in northern California and Bodega Bay was only a little over a half hour away. They washed up on Portuguese Beach. We always thought they were baby Portuguese Man O’ Wars. But I have never seen them in this massive quantity.
I remember being a kid & seeing these all over the sand. We’ve always gone to the Oregon Coast, Lincoln City or Seaside. I’m 53, now.
Brenda:
That is a cool memory that really stuck with you. Thanks for sharing!
Bruce