Jellyfish in Sardinia today
Pelagia noctiluca does not swim: it drifts at the surface, pushed by the wind. This page reads the wind blowing over Sardinia right now and shows which coast the drift is piling up on — and which one is watching it move offshore.
Reading the wind…
Pelagia does not swim. The wind carries it.
The most stinging jellyfish in the Mediterranean simply drifts at the surface: the rose sets itself on the wind blowing over Sardinia right now and shows where the drift piles up. Turn it by hand to try other conditions.
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How long it has been blowing
Leeward coast — they pile up here
Windward coast — pushed offshore
Next 48 hours — where the drift is heading
Method, sources and limits
Wind: Open-Meteo, offshore point on the west coast (40.3°N 8.05°E), updated every 15 minutes. Coastline: OpenPolis / ISTAT, simplified. Exposure is computed from the real orientation of each stretch of shore.
This is a heuristic for passive surface transport, not a validated model: local currents, bay morphology and coastal breezes can turn the picture upside down. Always check on site.
How to read it
The shoreline in coral is the leeward one: that is where the drift piles up. The one in teal sees the swarms move out to sea.
One day of push moves little. After two steady days the build-up on the leeward coast is at its peak.
The first 24–48 hours of calm after a long push are often the worst: what piled up spreads back along the whole shoreline.
If you have run into one
How to recognise the three common species and what to do after contact — no ammonia, no myths.
Read the full guideWhere to go meanwhile
Open headlands swept by the current see far fewer patches than enclosed bays.
- Capo Carbonara — Villasimius
- La Pelosa and Asinara — Stintino
- Capo Caccia — Alghero
Frequently asked questions
Are there jellyfish in Sardinia right now?
On most days, on most beaches, no. Pelagia noctiluca arrives in patches carried by the wind and is gone in a day or two: the map above shows which coast today’s wind is pushing the drift onto.
Where does the data come from?
Wind comes from Open-Meteo, measured offshore of the west coast of Sardinia and updated every 15 minutes. The exposure of each stretch of shore is computed from the real orientation of the coastline.
Does strong wind blow the jellyfish away?
It depends where you are. The same wind clears the windward coast and packs the swarms onto the leeward one: with a mistral the south-eastern quadrant collects them, while Stintino and Alghero clear up.
How reliable is this forecast?
It is a heuristic for passive surface transport, not a validated model. Local currents, bay shape and coastal breezes can turn the picture upside down: treat it as an indication, not a guarantee.