"Our lifeguards spotted blue buttons washed ashore," said a lifeguard agency

Marine organisms called blue buttons, which can cause skin irritation among humans, have been sighted along the Goa coast, a lifeguard agency deployed at the state's beaches said on Sunday.

Blue button, also called porpita porpita, consists of a colony of hydroids found in tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

In a statement, Drishti Marine Service said, "Our lifeguards spotted blue buttons washed ashore at beaches in north and south Goa. Its sting is not powerful but touching it can cause skin irritation."

It further advised people not to venture into the sea due to bad weather and rains.