-
Thousands of marine creates, also known as the wind in the wind, are on the sand of Rodeo Beach on the Côte de Marin on Tuesday April 1, 2025. (Alan Dep / Marin Independent Journal)
1 of 9
Thousands of marine creates, also known as the wind in the wind, are on the sand of Rodeo Beach on the Côte de Marin on Tuesday April 1, 2025. (Alan Dep / Marin Independent Journal)
The marine creatures in the shape of a jellyfish have been washed on the grounds on the beaches of northern California.
Known as Velella VelellaOr “sailors in the wind”, the creatures seem to have arrived en masse in the coastal sailor after the last precipitation.
“It's a bit funny because every year, they come back – and they come back regularly – it's almost as if it is a new event,” said Ralph Camaccia, a resident of the Bolinas and member of the Bolinas Advisory Council, appointed by the county. “It's funny how surprised people are.”
Camaccia said it was normal to see them on Seadrift Beach and Bolinas Beach. What is unique this year, he said is that they also entered the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon, a tidal estuary of 1,100 acres, near Wharf Road.
“They entered the incoming tide, floating by the thousands,” said Camaccia.
Wind wings are linked to anemones, corals, jellyfish and hydroids. Creatures can reach up to 3 inches long. Despite a single blob, they are a colony of polyps.
In relation: The Jellyfish application reveals the secrets of the tempting tenants
Polyps come together and build a single “sail” so that they can have the waves overwhelm, feeding by plunging their oozes into the water to capture plankton to digest in a common digestive system. They do not bite humans, but could irritate the skin if it was manipulated.
They generally live and feed further in the Pacific. But a few years in the spring, the wind and the probably warmer ocean waters lead them in spectacular numbers on the west coast.
They were also in force last spring, for example, and in southern California in 2023. And before that, they made appearances during the Reheat the children's years from 2014 to 2016.
“They are more often associated with warmer water conditions than cold water, but are blown on shore during the winds and upwelling currents,” said Jennifer Stock, spokesperson for the national marine sanctuaries in Farallones and Cordell Bank.
At this time of year, the ocean along the west coast passes to the upwelling season, Stock said. The beginning and the end of this season change on a large set of variables, but the presence of Velella Velellas indicates a change in the winds and the currents, said stock.
“Probably, they will be more widespread on the beaches that are direct wind line,” said stock.
In Rodeo Beach on Tuesday, Josh Crosier, who is on vacation from his home in Seattle, walked along the shore when he spotted the creatures in the water and dispersed on the sand.
“At the beginning, I thought they looked like little gems,” said Crosier. “The sun was lying and they were very brilliant.”
As they are thrown on the ground, they will start to break down and become food for beach fauna, said stock.
“They can become smelly if they are thick, but ultimately we will see crispy white remains that almost look like thin cristers, vestiges of their dried bodies,” she said.
Ocean Sunfish, or Mola Mola, also eats creatures, said stock.
Sometimes people report to see smooth oil, when in fact it can be densely aggregated vellas on the surface, Stock said.
“Velellas provides a window of wonder and fear of the big ocean and how much we know and do not know on the largest habitat on the planet,” said stock.
Originally published:
