Portuguese Man-o'war season in SE Florida?

[plongeursousmarin]

Hi,
A friend of mine told me about a jelly fish season (esp. sea wasps and portuguese man-o'wars) that supposedly hits Florida - he did not say whether it was the Gulf or Atlantic sides. I'll be down towards Ft Lauderdale and the upper Keys towards Memorial Day week-end to check out IDC facilities and I'm planning a bunch of dives so I'd like to be prepared... to change plans if necessary...
Never heard of a such invasion but it makes sense, happens in many places. Is there any thruths to that and if so when does this jellyfish season hits?
Thanks in advance for any confirmation!

 

[archman]

Thimble jelly larvae hit their annual peak late May early June in that area. The "sea lice" incidents go way up.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I've never had an UW encounter(or above water while surfing/snorkeling) with Portugese Man-O-War, but I see them washed up on the beaches of the northern Gulf Coast pretty often towards the end of summer.

The other jellyfish we have that you need to worry about are the stinging nettles. I've done dives literally seeing hundreds of these in short 30-40min shallow dives. They sting and they hurt. They can get thick enough to where you can't swim around them - you have to push them out the way with your hands to keep them off more sensative areas(face around mask, neckline if you aren't wearing a hood). The things we'll endure trying to bring some flounder home to the freezer... They usually come around during the summer or towards the end.

 

[baitedstorm]

The sealice Waaaaaaaay suck here around May.. I usually wear a skin and that seems to keep them off.. I coat myself in SafeSea lotion (can be bought at any lds or even at the Walmarts here) around the exposed areas.. It's pretty much a hit or miss thing. Not everyone is sensitive to them.

 

[Buoyant1]

The last time I saw any Man o' War in the Keys had to be a few years back in late April/early May...(they're a good reason to look UP when surfacing for sure!)

They had the warning signs posted at the entrance to Fort Zach Beach (On Key West) this past week, but I didn't see any at all.

Heck, I didn't see anything "jellie" while diving this time...(although I did see a Stingray the size of my kitchen table!)

 

[Tom Winters]

Wear a skin suit and at least a lycra hood - peel down in the boat afterward and rinse your skin creases out well. That knocks out 99% of the little critters. So maybe you get a few face or ankle stingies - you're not gonna die, and it will add situational beauty as well enhance your inner character PLUS your sense of spirit and adventure.

 

[DennisS]

Dania Beach had Man-o-War warnings this weekend. The wind has a lot to do with whether they are on the beaches.

 

[MikeJacobs]

Wear a skin suit and at least a lycra hood - peel down in the boat afterward and rinse your skin creases out well. That knocks out 99% of the little critters. So maybe you get a few face or ankle stingies - you're not gonna die, and it will add situational beauty as well enhance your inner character PLUS your sense of spirit and adventure.

This is the best advice for lice, as well as wear skins. It's just a little ouch so they won't ruin your day this way... not as bad as the airborne no-see-ums that itch for five days lol... "TEETH WITH WINGS."

For the man-o-war, ascend correctly (slowly & look up!) and it will be hard to hit 'em.

If you DO get hit somehow by a man-o-war, the sting will be like your worst sunburn for a while and your skin will welt up. It can scare you, but say calm. Get back to the boat or shore calmly and if the sting is really bad monitor your vitals for shock. I'm not a pharmasist but I understand that something like over-the-counter benedryl (sp?) is supposed to help with reactions. I hope somebody who KNOWS answers this thread... I've never been clear on the issue... where's GRIER when we need him?

It's rare to get hit, and many of us really aren't looking out for them specifically. Maybe it's just subconscious. You'll be more likely to get stung on the surface, especially snorkling, because you're normally either looking down or up... not around.

 

[plongeursousmarin]

Wear a skin suit and at least a lycra hood - peel down in the boat afterward and rinse your skin creases out well. That knocks out 99% of the little critters. So maybe you get a few face or ankle stingies - you're not gonna die, and it will add situational beauty as well enhance your inner character PLUS your sense of spirit and adventure.

This may be a dumb question but, here goes: when you say skin suit, does that exclude a neoprene 3 mm wetsuit or does any suit (lycra skin or regular neoprene wetsuit) constitute adequate protection? I looked up the sea lice and thimble jelly larvae stuff after reading these posts and it looks like they get into everything and what causes the nematocysts to fire is the organism's entrapment between exposure protection and skin. Argh. Just my luck to plan dives down there around Memorial Day. At least I'll be prepared (stock up on antihistamines I guess).

 

[Scuba_Dad]

If you DO get hit somehow by a man-o-war, the sting will be like your worst sunburn for a while and your skin will welt up. It can scare you, but say calm. Get back to the boat or shore calmly and if the sting is really bad monitor your vitals for shock. I'm not a pharmasist but I understand that something like over-the-counter benedryl (sp?) is supposed to help with reactions. I hope somebody who KNOWS answers this thread... I've never been clear on the issue... where's GRIER when we need him?

Our new Rescue Divers should be able to answer this one.

1) Remove (gently lift off) tentacle pieces or other stingers with forceps or some other tool. Don't use your bare hands and don't rub them off... they still have stingers in them.

2) irrigate the wound with seawater (NOT freshwater) and a 5% solution of acetic acid. Vinegar contains acetic acid. If you can't find vinegar, use a regular house hold amonia diluted with water. 3 parts water & 1 part amonia.

3) if possible, apply shaving cream and shave the area clean.

4) resoak the area with acetic or amonia solution.

5) Clean the wound with soap and apply an antihistamine or mild corticosteroid ointment for pain relief. Ice packs or ice in a dry bag (no leaks or condensation) and anesthetic sprays to reduce pain.

6) If the patient has signs or symtoms more serious than mild pain at the wound, get the diver to the ER.

The above was paraphrased from the PADI Rescue Diver manual pages 93-94.