Westport's Horseneck Beach closed again for the day after Portuguese man o' war sighting

The Herald News
·1 min read

For the second time in less than two weeks, the waters at Horseneck Beach in Westport have been closed for safety reasons.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation said on Monday that they have closed the water at Horseneck Beach State Reservation for the rest of the day due to a Portuguese man o' war sighting, as well as dangerous ocean conditions, including hazardous rip currents.

The beach and parking areas remain open to the public. DCR said unless otherwise posted, the water is expected to reopen to the public on Tuesday morning following a safety assessment.

The Portuguese man o’ war is recognized by its balloon-like float, which may be blue, violet, or pink and rises up to six inches above the water line.
The Portuguese man o’ war is recognized by its balloon-like float, which may be blue, violet, or pink and rises up to six inches above the water line.

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A Portuguese man o' war closely resembles, but is not, a jellyfish — it's a colonial collection of organisms that lives at the ocean surface with a typically blue gas-filled bladder above the water and long tentacles dangling below it. It normally lives in tropical or subtropical waters. The tentacles are venomous; contact with them can be extremely painful to humans, and in rare occasions fatal.

DCR also closed the beach on July 13 after a lifeguard sighted a shark swimming near land. The water was closed for the remainder of the day but reopened the next day.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Horseneck Beach in Westport closed after Portuguese man o' war spotted