How are the jellyfish in Bonaire in April/May?

[sasscuba]

This will be my first trip during April/May. All previuos trips were in August/September.

How are the jellyfish during April/May?

Got hit by a box jelly 3 years ago in August. OUCH!

I hate suits and for 25 years I just wear bathing suit and t-shirt while diving.

How are jellies during the day? What about night time?

Thanks Scott.

 

[txdano]

I did not see any a few weeks ago if that helps.

 

[piikki]

What is the first aid for jellyfish sting if you do get hit?

 

[txdano]

Very hot water.

 

[sasscuba]

I did not see any a few weeks ago if that helps.

During the day or did you do any night dives?

 

[livingstone]

What is the first aid for jellyfish sting if you do get hit?

Someone recently on Bonaire Talk or on here said "hot vinegar".

 

[ronbeau]

What is the first aid for jellyfish sting if you do get hit?

According to my "DAN Pocket Guide to First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries"

1. Ensure Airway, Breathing & Circulation (ABCs)
2. Irrigate with Vinegar (if unavailable sea water or saline solution is acceptable).
3. Remove tentacles with forceps (tweezers).
4. Seek medical attention for severe reaction.
5. Apply hydrocortisone lotion.
6. Apply ice to control pain.

Avoid

• Irrigating with fresh water or ice.
• Rubbing skin or applying sand.

Important Note

• Sea wasp (box jellyfish) stings may require oxygen first aid and antivenin.
• Pressure immobilization technique may also be helpful with box jellyfish stings.

 

[C Chris]

livingstone is absolutely correct. My wrist got "wrapped" by a box jelly in Honduras last year - I poured plain old vinegar on it (the wrist, not the box jelly)... about 3 to 4 treatments over 15 minutes. The vinegar however, was not hot - just ambient temperature - and it took about 90% of the pain away. Next day I was pain free. Prevention is the best path, and it taught me not to hang around the shallows in one spot on a night dive with lots of lights. Also, for me, a dive skin is a must on a night dive. The skin probably saved me from worse, as we were surrounded by the critters on that dive. The jellys are attracted to the light and come in to the source. On a night dive in the Caicos from a live-aboard, we had to descend 15' to 20' before turning on our lights because the jellys had moved towards the surface - I was told that the moonlight had attracted them. - Chris

 

[txdano]

I was stung by some form of jellyfish once before, but did not have the opportunity to try any of the suggested treatments before the irritation went away. I have always heard and was taught vinegar was the way to go as well, and personall would still give that a shot based on other people's experience. For what it is worth, this is from an article I saw the other day:

Dec 2006

Hot water is the most effective way to relieve the pain of a jellyfish sting, a new study has found.

Doctors and medical students at Busselton Hospital in Western Australia purposefully stung themselves with jellyfish to compare four popular treatments - ice, vinegar, aluminium sulphate and hot water.

"Hot water was the only successful treatment, relieving 88 per cent of the pain," the team wrote in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.

"Other treatments were incomplete and temporary."

They said that sting patients treated with hot water at about 45 degrees celsius got "significant" pain relief in 4-10 minutes, and the heat also appeared to stop inflammation.

"There is an urgent need for knowledge of this simple remedy to be spread," said study author, Dr John Taylor.

"And there is the potential that it could even be lifesaving when used with more serious jellyfish stings in the north of Australia."

 

[dvrliz1]

Sasscuba,

Normally July/August is usually "jellyfish" season. I usually dive with my bathing suit and t-shirt on, but in July/August I wear a skin. This is not to say you may not encounter a jellyfish anytime of year, or microscopic tenticale stings (they are a turtles favorite meal), but you should be fine with just a t-shirt and your suit.

Hope this helps.

Liz