(Photos on this blog are my original photos, with many that I personally uploaded on Pinterest. Depending on the speed of your device, it may take a few seconds for all photos to load. Thanks for visiting!)
Posted by San Luis Obispo Mom on Friday, May 19, 2023 Under: Pismo Beach
Earlier this week in Pismo Beach, we stumbled on thousands of Velella, also known as By-the-Wind Sailor. They are so magnificent and beautiful. They're tiny and look like they have a sail on them. For the first time in many years that I've lived here, this is the first time I've seen them at our beach! I was so excited. They have little legs on them and eat plankton. In person, they look very purply blue but it was a cloudy day so they have this darker color when I took pictures of them. See my video short below to see better angles of a velella that I captured.
A few days later, we had a beach day and drove on the beach on the south side of Pismo State Beach from Grover Beach to Oceano. (Pismo State Beach encompasses Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, and Oceano.) These by-the-wind-sailors were washed up along the beach in multitudes! You could find thousands of them within a few yards. See the video short I captured while I was there.
2025 Spotting of Velella Velella at Pismo State Beach
While I was hanging out with my family to watch the sunset, I realized these Velella Velella came back. Here's a video that I recorded while watching the sunset with these by-the-wind sailors.
Being at the beach can so fun and creates wonderful memories but it comes with a risk. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Being outdoors is always one great idea to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise if you feel bummed out for any reason.
Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
Some of the links are just useful local information that I'm sharing for free and some are commission-based products that may help me earn a small commission for each sale to upkeep with the fees of running this local blog.
Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
@sanluisobispomom