Portuguese Man of War Attacks Lifeguard at Clearwater Beach, Florida

Clearwater Beach lifeguard, Cameron Moeller was completing his daily training swim, when his hand brushed against what he thought was a mass of seaweed.

That's when he felt the first sting. "It felt like a hot knife," said Mr. Moeller, who has been a lifeguard for five years.

As he pulled away, the current pushed the rest of the "mass" onto Mr. Moeller's stomach.

As he twisted to get free, the "mass" shot out tentacles which wrapped around Mr. Moeller's arms, back, and chest, stinging him painfully.

Mr. Moeller had met up with a Portuguese Man of War, a most unpleasant creature.

Panicking, he swam toward the shore dragging the Man-of-War behind him, before breaking free.

He rinsed himself off with a near-by hose, and the other lifeguards doused him with vinegar.

A few minutes later, pain hit his chest. He had trouble breathing and passed out.

Mr. Moeller was rushed to Morton Plant Hospital where he was treated with steroids, painkillers and cortisone cream. He was monitored until he was stable, and then released.

He wanted to return to work the next day but his boss made him take a few days off.

Clearwater officials could not remember ever seeing a man-of-war at the beach. But to be safe, they decided to post purple flags warning "dangerous marine life".

The Portuguese man-of-war is a cross between a jellyfish and a coral. It has a gas-filled, football shaped bladder usually an iridescent blue or pink color.

It floats on top of the water, with its tangle of tentacles twisting below. Some of those tentacles can be 60 feet long.

The tentacles are made of stinging cells filled with potent venom.

Swimmers hit by these tentacles experience great pain depending on the amount of toxins released. The toxin contains a powerful poison, which in large doses, can kill.

My husband and I learned about the Portuguese man-of-war while vacationing in Bermuda, celebrating our 25^th wedding anniversary.

The lovely ocean-front resort we stayed at had a salt water pool, but we decided to explore a tiny near-by beach.

The turquoise water was filled with hundreds of brightly colored, tropical fish.