Beaches covered with Velella Creatures being Blown In from the Ocean

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Thousands of small creatures washing ashore on the Central Coast beaches, called the velalla, have been seen on many beaches in the last few days.

They are also called By-the-Wind sailors, a type of jellyfish.

They have been seen along the Ventura coast, Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara, Butterfly Beach in Montecito and on the sands of Cayocos in San Luis Obispo County.

"I never seen that  before, this is the first time I've seen it. I thought it was rocks and I touched them and they weren't rocks and they were like plastic," said resident Salvador Arraiga while walking on Leadbetter beach.  ""Yea they look like mussels but touching them I thought that was what it was but it's not."

In the harbor, they were in the water and by the docks.  Cyrus Salahub said, "I didn't know what I was seeing at first.  I thought it was some oyster chips floating in the water but they were blueish."  It caught the eye of passersby.   "People were kind of circling around pointing checking them out."

They sometimes arrive during windy conditions after an upwelling in the ocean.

You should not touch them because they can cause a minor irritation according to marine biologists. Velella toxins are harmless to humans.

In nearshore waters,  ocean swimmers tried to avoid them but the Velella were shifting with the wind and currents.

Jan Von Yurt came out and said, "we swam out,  we tried to find a spot where there weren't that many on the beach they have sails.  They move really  quickly."

If you have an inquisitive dog you are advised to keep them away as consuming the velella will likely make them sick.