This is a crazy little creature...it is a Portuguese Man of War (according to Erin). They look like a little clear bubble with a blue string attached to it (you can click on the picture and enlarge it...). They would ride up in the waves and get deposited on the beach with the white bubbles. If you step on it, it wraps the blue tentacle around you and stings. While we were there, a little boy got stung by one in the water. It left what looked like bee stings in a line around his ankle. The bubble part is actually very small, but the tentacle can get to be about 3 feet long. Erin says that if you get stung, you are supposed to pee on the sting spot and it makes the pain go away. I was tempted to touch one, but I really didn't want to get peed on.