Some beaches in Sydney and along the Sunshine Coast have been particularly inundated lately. Gershwin says bluebottles are more commonly found at surf beaches. “Inevitably they’re going to be more common at any beaches getting the wind like that, so surf beaches as opposed to enclosed coves … That’s just a function of how [bluebottles] travel.”
Warming oceans have an impact on bluebottle populations too. “With many types of jellyfish, warming water does cause them to grow more, both in terms of personal growth [the organism itself grows faster] as well as population growth. So we end up with more jellyfish overall,” says Gershwin.
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NSW beaches have been invaded by a âbloomâ of bluebottles swept onshore by a north-easterly wind that continued throughout Friday night, causing large numbers of beachgoers to be stung.
But for all the people complaining, the sight of their pearly sacs and their tentacles has some raving about their beauty.
Bluebottles, a type of jellyfish, have been spotted on the beaches up and down the coast, including Sydneyâs Narrabeen, Manly, Bondi and Maroubra beaches. They have also been blown onto other beaches in NSW, including Terrigal on the central coast, and Gerroa to the south.
A bluebottle just off the sand at Maroubra on Saturday.