Cutter's Advanced/DEET/Cactus Juice

[diverken374]

Just to clarify this post. I was referring to Neem Oil. 97% DEET i'm sure would be effective as well but I would want to take a putty knife so that I could take my wet suit off.

 

[robint]

one of the big issues with DEET products here hasn't been mentioned, and that is how harmful it is to the oceanlife. The Cactus Juice products are supposed to be much much safer. We bought the CJ products online and took them with us to Roatan. We used them religiously and they worked well. We did take with us a tiny bottle of DEET to spray on our legs in the evening after our last dive of the day to prevent mosquitos from munching on us.

Over the week I did get a few mosquito bites when I forgot to spray before going into the clubhouse area (I think they live there).... a few sand flea bites on my feet when I didn't apply it often enough but nothing major. Ron got about a dozen sand flea bites on his back one day when we returned from diving and he took off his wetsuit and used the restroom at dock before showering and spraying on the Cactus Juice which we kept in our locker at the dock. The bites were all gone by the end of the week and his lesson learned.... he never skipped spraying after that and he didn't get another bite. So that tells me that the CJ works.
Cactus Juice
also, the cactus juice smells good.
DEET doesn't and it makes my skin burn. I hate it and use it sparingly.

robin

 

[John_B]

After another week at CCV I am absolutely sold on the Cutter's Advanced with Picaridin. In November I took two 1 oz pump spray bottles, this time I took one 1 oz spray pump bottle and one 6 oz. Next time I'm taking two 6 oz. Easier to share. For the CCV crowd, definitely keep one bottle at your dive locker at the dock.

To no one in particular, DEET is hard on plastics and neoprene and the senses. If you are going to spray that [-]crap[/-] stuff, please be considerate as to who is around you as well as what gear may be next to you.

John_B

 

[ktownhero]

I found Cactus Juice sold locally so I just bought two bottles of that, one miracle gel, and I'll bring some DEET as a backup.

 

[Ayisha]

I found Cutter's Advanced worked really well too. I took Deep Woods Off with me for a back-up if necessary, but never needed it. I didn't get bitten at all when I used Cutter's, but the two times I forgot in the evening or early morning, I got bitten a lot. Also, with Cutter's Advanced, there was no smell or gross feeling like with DEET; and it's environmentally friendly as well as clothing and wetsuit friendly. I was very happy with the Cutter's Advanced, as were other people in our group.

 

[Sue-ba]

I can handle mosquito bites but seem to have an extra bad reaction to the sand flies--"no see'ums". I have been to Utila three times and Tobacco Caye, Belize once and have suffered tremendously while there and I get home looking like I have a severe case of chicken pox for about 6 weeks.

It does help if I resist scratching, but it is like the difference between having a piece of sand in your eye or a three inch long splinter. It itches sooo bad if you don't scratch then it itches worse if you do. I can't win.

I went to Utila all times before Belize so I was worried about the sand flies and heard from several sources that Tabacco Caye doesn't have sand flies because there are not mangroves. I didn't take anything.

By my third trip to Utila, I started using the Cutter sparingly in conjunction with very generous amounts of "Off, Tropical" scent. I would take my own can and apply liberally and it helped. I have thought about taking Benydryl sometime to see if it helps my reaction but haven't tried it yet. Everyone else in the family gets a few bites that annoy them but I end up miserable...(but not miserable enough to stay home and miss out on the diving)

Anyway, because I heard that Tabacco Caye had no bugs, I didn't take anything. MISTAKE!!!!!
The first day, we all got eaten alive. I was almost in tears thinking about staying seven more days without any protection at all and there are no stores on the island to buy anything.

I remembered a friend telling me that the old-fashioned yellow Listerine has been found to be effective on mosquitos. I always take a 3 oz. bottle of green listerine with me everywhere, so, desperately, I started slathering it on my body. I swear that the discomfort I felt the rest of my stay was from the original bites from the first day. I am positive that I only got a few more bites in odd places the rest of the stay and I attribute it to the listerine. I was worried I was going to run out since it was such a small bottle but it went a long way even though I drenched my skin several times a day. I also wore my dive skin whenever reasonable and stayed in any breeze I could find. I think the sand flies are so small, they have trouble navigating the wind.

My upcoming trip to Roatan is going to have my arsenal of Off, dive skin, wind, Benedryl and Listerine, I'm taking several bottles.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[adjuster-jd]

I'm not sure what you mean by "handling" mosquito bites. It's not the bite itself or possible itching, that is an issue but the potential disease that can be carried by them - ie: malaria (preventable with meds) or worse dengue, etc. Best to prevent the bites.

 

[robint]

Benydryl spray is excellent to keep you from scratching, it really blocks the itch well.

Sue-ba... have you tried the Cactus Juice? We had great luck with it and also it has built in sunscreen and smells fresh and tropical, not medicinal. You might want to give it a try. I need to get a refill of the spray since we used a whole bottle between the two of us our week on Roatan back in Nov.

As far as those people afraid of going to Roatan because of the bugs... Bah Humbug! I just returned from a week in Cozumel and mosquitos got me several nights when I didn't even realize they were out. At least when you get bit by the sand fleas you feel it! Then you can spray on your protection to prevent more bites. Mosquitos inject an anesthetic into you when they bite so you never fell them! Plus they carry diseases. I honestly got a dozen mosquito bites on one leg and half dozen on the other in Coz and a week later they are still there and itch. Uggghhh. I'd take sand fleas over mosquitos any day!!! The few sand flea bites we got were gone by the end of the week, just appearing as tiny red dots on the skin and no itch.

We were told by Liz, the manager at Cocoview, that some people do have a severe reaction to sand fleas but most people don't. And she says after being down there on Roatan for awhile, most people develop an immunity to them. She said she only knew of one local who had problems and he was constantly covered with whelts.

 

[Sue-ba]

By handling, I just mean they don't make me miserable the way the sand flies do. The same methods I use to ward off sand flies usually work even better at keeping the mosquitoes off.

I will try to find cactus juice. I am looking for the perfect solution. Thanks

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

I just got over a case of Dengue I picked up in bonaire in March . It is brutal . Sand Flies also carry a few tropical diseases including parasites.
If you have ever had Dengue you would fear the mosquito as I now do.