Weekend of worry as bluebottles haunt Australian beaches

As Australians head into an official three-day weekend with warm, sunny weather along the east coast, authorities are reminding beachgoers of a danger lurking just on the ocean's surface.

Local swimmers have been told to be prepared for jelly fish stings after plagues of the Pacific Man o'War, commonly known as the bluebottle jellyfish washed ashore along beaches in Sydney, Newcastle and the Gold Coast his past week.

"With the arrival of summer-like temperatures on our beaches, so too is the possible influx of the dreaded bluebottle," Surf Life Saving New South Wales said in a statement on Friday.

The bluebottle jellyfish is typically found floating -- sometimes in groups of 1,000 or more -- in the warm waters throughout the world's oceans, propelled by currents, tides and wind captured by the sail on top of its float.

Jellyfish experts however warn the global nemesis of surfers which sting up 30,000 Australians in peak years -- 10,000 on average -- can still pack a punch even when washed ashore.

"They can even sting you after the animal itself is essentially dead," Australian Museum naturalist Martyn Robinson said, including if the jelly fish's head, or float, has been broken up by waves.

"The recommended treatment for a bluebottle sting is warm to hot water, not vinegar, and people who suffer severe or anaphylactic reactions are warned to take extra care," Surf Life Saving NSW said.

Though a nuisance for surfers and swimmers everywhere, the stingers play a vital role in the ecology of the marine ecosystem.

Bluebottles tangle small crustaceans and other surface plankton in its tentacles, while being food for sea lizards and sea turtles that can eat the pest without being stung. Endit