The Portuguese Men o' War

During the Cuban winter season it is posible to see the Portuguese Men o' War arriving to the Cuban coasts blown by the winds from North America.
These creatures (Physalia physalis) are as beautiful as they are dangerous to humans. The blue sail allows the animal to stay floating on the surface and to be pushed by the winds and water currents. Under the surface the Man o' War has a number of tentacles that can be as long as 10 meters!

The sting from the tentacles can be fatal to humans. Actually, when I was at Clínica Internacional de Varadero with my wife, the paramedics came in with a teenager that had been stung by a Portuguese Man o' War. The girl was in a serious state of shock.

After that I began to warn every tourist that I saw on the beach being attracted by the beauty of the stranded animals.

Finally, when I was taking a photo of a stranded Portuguese Man o' War on the beach of Varadero, I didn't see that a wave had thrown another Man o' War close to my feet. My right foot was reached by one of its tentacles. What a pain!