Anya Stajner Tracks By-the-wind Sailors California Coast, La Jolla Adds Reports
By-the-wind sailors california coast sightings reached La Jolla this week after first appearing in Northern California weeks earlier. Anya Stajner, a graduate student at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said they first showed up on Monday evening to her knowledge.
Reports also came from Carlsbad. Stajner said, “We can’t yet be sure if there are more velella to come.”
La Jolla and Carlsbad
Velella velella are offshore creatures propelled by ever-shifting currents and winds, and they are difficult to see because they are translucent. Beachgoers usually notice them when they wash ashore and their deep blue and purple coloring fades as they dry out and die.
The creatures are not jellyfish, though they resemble them, and they can deliver a sting that is benign to humans. That makes the La Jolla landing a beach nuisance more than a public safety issue, even as more may still arrive.
Spring strandings across California
Since late March, velella have been sighted on beaches in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Luis Obispo County, and along the coast of Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties. Stajner said “the last four Aprils have all yielded notable velella strandings.”
The spring pattern adds a wider California coast sweep to the La Jolla reports, with current and wind shifts making these animals more likely to pile up where people can see them. For beachgoers, the practical takeaway is simple: expect more blue, sail-like bodies on the sand, and more sightings may still follow the Monday evening arrival.
