By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla - Volusia County beaches are known for shark bites and jellyfish stings.
Though the hard sands of the World's Most Famous Beach make beach driving a convenience, cars do get stuck. And there are the rip currents were swimmers often need to be rescued.
But now there's a new critter lurking in the rolling surf: and washing up on shore: Sea butterflies! Say what?
It was a busy Saturday for Beach Safety officers and lifeguards with 14 rescues of swimmers in the rolling surf, digging cars stuck in soft sand and tending to beachgoers complaining of tiny critters called sea butterflies poking through the skin and sticking to swim attire.
"We are flying the purple flag due to 'Sea Butterflies'," Beach Safety Watch Commander and Capt. Laura S. Warne told Headline Surfer in an email media alert summary of Saturday highlights at the World's Most Famous Beach in Dayutona as well as other county beaches in Ormond, Daytona Beach Sgoires, Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna.Their shell is a pinpoint needle structure that pokes the skin and clings to swim suits. They are non-venomous and are more of an annoyance than anything, they can be rinsed off with water."
Currents generated by tropical storms and hurricanes bring the needle-shaped sea snails from their usual home in the warm Caribbean waters to the Sunshine State.
Warner added, "Today we had a midday high tide and closed several beach access ramps to driving during this time. We are experiencing soft sand problems everywhere, making it difficult to navigate while driving. Please pay close attention to the traffic signs."
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.