Salps: Gelatinous and Harmless Visitors in Our Waters

During training sessions or open water crossings, it’s common to come across small, gelatinous, and transparent creatures often mistaken for jellyfish. These curious beings are actually salps — completely harmless marine organisms and a sign that we are swimming in a healthy, vibrant sea.

Salps belong to a group of animals known as planktonic tunicates and feed on phytoplankton. Because they are almost entirely transparent, we often see a very thin orange filament inside them — this is simply their digestive tube, visible through the body.

Despite their resemblance to jellyfish, salps have no tentacles or stinging cells, so they do not sting. They are completely harmless. In some cases, contact with their gelatinous surface might cause a slight itching sensation or mild discomfort on the skin, but this reaction is gentle and temporary.

So, if you come across a salp during your swim, take a moment to observe it with curiosity! It's just another wonder the ocean offers us — and another reason to swim in harmony with nature.

Swim with confidence — and without worries!