New with jellyfish questions

[Dory42]

Greetings,
I am new to snorkeling and hope that you seasoned folks can help out a neophyte.

Having enjoyed my youth, I have a burst right eardrum from a motorcycle accident and discovered that when snorkeling when one breathes in, water enters deep into the ear. Nice. I haven't been that sick in a very long time.

I didn't try snorkeling again for 12 years. Now I am back in the water. One more glitch - I am extremely allergic to bees. This means that jellies and their offspring, sea lice, can really be a problem.

Recognizing that the only sure thing is to avoid the water altogether, I hope to find other solutions. Wear Sea Safe? Avoid the warm months?

Of course, I will avoid the water when jellies are clearly present, but those tiny round ones in Abaco are darn near invisible. Does anyone know if they sting? In January I will be going to Abaco, Aruba and then the Gold Coast of Mexico. Are the jellies still persistent then?

What do the water gurus out there think about wearing a drysuit with attached booties and a lycra hood? There is a posting in the scuba forum where a person was "stung" when rinsing a drysuit in a bathtub. Could I rinse off entirely with vinegar before removing the suit to avoid this? So many questions...

I was told that I should to stick to swimming and kayaking in fresh waters, but snorkeling is so beautiful.

Thanks for any insight and sage advice,
Dory42

 

[cmburch]

Northern California we use hoods. The only way that water enters my ear is if I open the seal around my face to let the water in. There are also vented plugs available for freedivers.

I swell up from bee stings. 35 years ago picking weeds, I grabbed a bee. Since I have been stung before my body had an over reactive response. My hand swelled so much I could not close it. My current reaction to bee stings is pretty bad. I have sting kits at home and in my vehicle first aid kit from Kaiser Hospital. They have a shelf life.

A body's immune response to antigens is specific. I do not have an allergic reaction to sea nettles or other common jellies in our surf zone. I get stung about every year for over 45 years. I would wear some protection or not go in the water if there were too many. Maybe I am past hypersensitized for our common jellies, but they still hurt.

Lightweight socks/booties can be worn with fins. Depending on the temperature a person can wear a light wetsuit or lightweight dive skin. Try Google "warm water dive skin". I have never used a topical spray or ointment for jellies. I am unfamiliar with warm water drysuits.

Also avoid windward shores when snorkeling where the jellies are blown towards.

 

[David Wilson]

When I walk across the beach to snorkel off the the coast of North East England, I occasionally see several small jellyfish in the sand. All year round, I snorkel with a valveless vintage-style drysuit, basically a thin coverall comprising a hooded jacket and footed pants with face, wrist and waist seals. I complete the ensemble with a pair of drygloves. In my five years of snorkelling in this locale and with this outfit, I've never experienced any sting, little water gets into the suit and I feel protected from wind and water chill. The suit is initially quite buoyant, but venting and sealing it is hardly rocket science.

This said, my North Sea setting sounds much less risky pest-wise than the locations where you are planning to do your snorkelling. Consider reposting your question in ScubaBoard's regional forums where you might receive advice from somebody familiar with those locations.

 

[The Chairman]

The venom of a bee is completely different from that of Cnidaria. You may not be allergic at all. However, you might consider carrying an epi-pen if you are (your doctor should be able to prescribe one for you).

As for avoiding them, they are marine creatures. I dive in a swimsuit and t-shirt and simply can't remember the last time I was stung. I don't stop diving when they show up either... I just use my situational awareness and avoid them!

 

[boulderjohn]

The venom of a bee is completely different from that of Cnidaria. You may not be allergic at all. D

...and not only that.

The phylum cnidaria has different classes with different characteristics. By far the most common is the class scyphozoa, the true jelly. While these do sting, they usually do not pack much of a punch and are generally more annoying for people than dangerous.

The really dangerous class is cubozoa, which has the dreaded box jellyfish. This is one serious critter, but it is only located far from where most people dive, and the vast majority of the world's diver's will never see one.

The next most dangerous is the class hydrozoa, which includes fire coral and the Portuguese Man-of-War. Fire coral doesn't move and is thus easy to avoid. The Portuguese Man-of-War is distinguishable by its long tentacles and by its float, a bag-like mechanism that keeps it on the surface with the tentacles dropping down below it. I have seen a lot of small man-of-war that have been cast up on the beach by waves, but I have never seen one while I am diving or snorkeling.

I therefore agree with NetDoc--it's easy to avoid any of the ones that can hurt you.

 

[cmburch]

Depending on the density of jellies, and the conditions such as wind, surf, turbidity, etc. Also how easy it is to see the jellies.

It is not necessarily easy for a snorkeler, swimmer, people that do watersports, etc. to avoid coming in contact with jellies 100% of the time.

There are those that may have a bad allergic reaction from jellies where we would only get an uncomfortable stinging/burning sensation and welts or rash.

In general, a SCUBA diver can easily avoid jellies if low in density, easy to see, and not much movement such as wind, surf, etc. while on surface of water.

Jumping in the water from a dock or boat it is easy to hit a jelly if unable to see it. Also going through the surf zone with wind blowing towards shore.

I have children's Benedryl in my airplane carry on bag, first aid kit in vehicle, medicine cabinet at home. I think an antihistamine such as Benedryl along with injectable epinephrine kit is a good start for first aid. Use INTERNET advice with a grain of salt. Talk to your doctor for best information.