Overview

• Several northern beaches remain under red- or yellow-flag warnings as EMULSA and lifeguard teams continue removing Portuguese man o’ war specimens
• On August 4, the Servicio de Emergencias del Principado de Asturias issued guidelines urging bathers to avoid contact, follow lifeguard instructions and apply water-borne first aid
• Donostia’s Ayuntamiento has tied beach closures to specific thresholds—triggering bans when sightings exceed set size and count limits
• Experts from the PER facil school attribute the afternoon surge in strandings to the diurnal “virazón” breeze combined with shifting currents and warmer Cantabrian Sea temperatures
• Portuguese man o’ war tentacles retain urticating venom for up to 24 hours even when detached, and recent stings along Gijón and Donostia have produced only mild reactions so far