Cristina Celaya was strolling on the Hermosa Pier with a friend Monday afternoon when she looked down and saw an unusual sight – beautiful blue sea creatures washed up by the thousands on the shoreline.
“It was lined up and down the coast, tons of them, probably thousands. It was up and down, as far as you can see to Manhattan, and all the way to Redondo as well,” she said.
Celaya, and anyone else who had visited the beach early this week, had come across Velella velellas, or what’s more commonly known as by-the-wind sailors, a hint that the anticipated El Niño is brewing.
During the last mega El Niño that combined with a marine heatwave — or warm water “blob” — from 2014 to 2016, the by-the-wind sailors became a frequent sight along local shorelines from Oregon to Mexico, and across Southern California beaches.
They are an open ocean species at the mercy of currents and winds. When warm-water currents push up from the south, these creatures come along for the ride – and to their death once the winds push them toward shore and they dry out, their blue hue turning white.
“Most of these were really fresh, right out of the ocean,” Celaya said, noting that she could see even more in the incoming waves.
“There were so many,” she said. “I was just fascinated, just looking at them. They are so pretty.”
The jelly-like creatures don’t swim; instead, they sail on the ocean’s surface.
By-the-wind sailors do have venom, but their stings generally aren’t harmful to humans. People are advised to avoid them, however, because stings can cause mild skin irritation.
With the warm water conditions and the forecasted strong El Niño expected this year, experts say there could be more exotic creatures showing up in local waters.