Thousands of alien-like jellyfish were spotted clustered together ‘wriggling and jiggling’ as they enveloped the Bateman’s Bay shoreline on Friday.
Startling footage of the rare phenomenon shows huge amounts of poisonous bluebottles sprawling across the sand, rocks and shallow water, creating a blanket-like effect.
Canberra motor mechanic, Brett Willensky, made the alarming discovery while at Barlings Beach, quickly reaching for his camera to document the experience.
From what initially appears to be a continuation of the blue ocean from a distance, a closer view reveals masses of the tiny organisms heaped on top of each other.
‘Lots of bluebottles,’ Mr Willensky can be heard exclaiming as he pans across the dense layer of blue.
‘We went for a morning beach walk and they were all just blowing into the bay and floating underwater,’ he said.
While he was happy to capture footage of the event, the wary beach-goer labelled the unique spectacle ‘the stuff of nightmares’.
Brett Willensky found a huge blanket of bluebottles covering Barlings Beach at Batemans Bay
He made the alarming discovery while at Barlings Beach, quickly reaching for his camera to document the experience
The bubble-like blue creatures can deliver a powerful sting and beach-goers are warned to steer clear of them, even if they’re dead.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, more than 10,000 people report being stung by bluebottles in Australia every year.
However, in peak bluebottles years – like last year and this year – bluebottles can literally ‘overrun’ the beach, and that number can climb to 30,000.
The bubble-like blue creatures can deliver a powerful sting and beach-goers are warned to steer clear of them
Those who happen to step on one are recommended to run the sting under hot water or seek help from beach patrol officers.
But the good news is that bluebottles found in New South Wales are less venomous than those found up north.
The Atlantic Portuguese Man-o’-War or ‘floating terror’ found in Queensland can be up to 30 metres long, with an ‘excruciating’ potentially fatal sting.