Foreign tourist injured by Portuguese man o’ war at Phuket’s Nai Thon Beach

A 23-year-old foreign woman was injured by a Portuguese man o’ war at Phuket’s Nai Thon Beach on 9 September 2026, according to officials from the Upper Andaman Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center (MCRC).

The woman suffered severe burning pain after contact with the marine creature. Lifeguards provided first aid before transferring her to hospital, where she received pain relief and antihistamines. Her condition later improved and she returned to her accommodation.

MCRC officials inspected the beach after reports of the incident circulated on social media. Red warning flags were already in place because of rough seas, and no jellyfish were found along the shoreline during the inspection. Lifeguards had earlier collected a specimen that was identified as a Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia sp.) with a bell size of approximately three centimetres.

The officials distributed educational materials to lifeguards on first aid for jellyfish stings and recorded the case in Thailand’s Marine Tourism Warning System for monitoring and alerts.

Authorities urged swimmers, residents and beach operators to exercise caution during periods of strong waves and to follow lifeguard instructions and beach warning signals.