Velella Velella Hit the Oregon Coast and Washington Coast - But Something is Different

Published 03/08/26 at 6:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seaside, Oregon) - Large numbers of Velella velella - the small, bright-blue creatures often called purple sailors or by-the-wind sailors - are washing up along stretches of the Oregon coast this week. While the strandings can sometimes blanket miles of shoreline, this event is more patchy. Some beaches are seeing thick clusters and others only light scatterings. (Photos Seaside Aquarium)

There have been reports from Haystack Rock Awareness Program in Cannon Beach, Seaside Aquarium, and Rockaway Beach, Manzanita and up on the south Washington coast - and more. This time around, Seaside Aquarium’s Tiffany Boothe caught some with a rainbow in the background, a particularly fanciful look.

Many of them are just wee ones, but a fair amount are larger. It's a different mix this time around. The small size means they are juveniles, which makes sense for this time of year since they'd be early in their life cycle.

Marine experts, including Boothe, say Velella are hydrozoans, a group of predatory animals distantly related to jellies, corals, and sea anemones. At sea or having just washed ashore, they appear vivid blue or purple and range from just a few millimeters to about seven centimeters across. Once exposed to sun and air, they dry out, turn clear, and are often mistaken for bits of plastic.

Each Velella carries a clear, triangular sail - its only means of movement. With no ability to swim, the animals drift wherever winds and currents take them. When persistent west winds push toward shore, the colonies are driven onto beaches. Their sail orientation is unique to this side of the North Pacific, angled northwest-to-southeast to catch prevailing winds and normally steer them away from land. But shifting or erratic winds can send them ashore in large numbers.

Mass strandings can sometimes carpet Oregon coast and Washington coast beaches in layers, and when the animals linger too long, they begin to decay and stink like hell. That is not yet the case, but conditions could change if winds continue to push them inland.

Like the freaky, cynlindrical pyrosomes that appeared the previous decade, Velella are not single organisms. Each one is a floating colony made up of many genetically identical individuals, or polyps. According to the aquarium, some polyps specialize in feeding and reproduction, while others provide protection and structure.

Velella are capable of stinging, but their venom is designed for tiny prey such as plankton and is not considered harmful to humans. Even so, beachgoers are advised to avoid handling them, as some people may experience irritation or allergic-type reactions. Their presence also represents a natural accumulation of dead and decaying marine life, which can pose minor health concerns if left in large quantities.

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