NDH
Guest
What is the month that sea lice is the heaviest in Cozumel? And if anyone knows the condition now? :06:
Question about sea lice
- Thread starter NDH
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
- Messages
- 5,721
- Reaction score
- 474
The following should prove of assistance in understanding & dealing with "sea lice." It is from my "Ask RSD" column in the Oct '99 issue of "Rodale's Scuba Diving" magazine:
"I. What are "sea lice" and what can I do about them?
A common form of skin disorder after diving is Sea Bather's Eruption, or SBE. Often mistakenly attributed to "sea lice," which are parasites of fish, SBE is primarily caused by the larval form of thimble jellyfish, very small creatures which float near the surface. The hydroid forms of certain corals and anemones also may cause the condition. Found in Florida, Mexico and the wider Caribbean, they are most numerous from March to August, with early April to early June being peak season.
The main feature of SBE is raised and itchy red welts/blotches which appear 4 to 24 hours after swimming or diving. The larvae tend to attach to swim wear, dive suits and hair, causing the skin under covered areas of the body and around the back of the neck to be most affected. Depending on exposure and individual sensitivity, there may be fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, generalized weakness or chills.
Prevention of stings is the best way to combat SBE. You should: (1) Ask resorts and dive shops if they are aware of heavy infestation; (2) Wear a snug fitting full body protective suit which fits tightly at the neck, wrist and ankle. Swim suits and T-shirts are not recommended; (3) Apply a thin layer of sun protectant, baby oil or petroleum jelly to the skin; (4) Remove wet garments immediately and wash yourself thoroughly. Do not rinse off with any items on; and (5) When surfacing, vigorously purge your second stage above your head just before breaking the water. If on a night dive, turn your light off at the safety stop and keep it off.
If you do get stung: (1) Immediately apply a mixture of 1/2 isopropyl alcohol and 1/2 vinegar to affected skin areas. Repeat every 10 minutes for half an hour. Some persons get relief by putting on a thin paste of meat tenderizer and allowing to dry. Wash off after about 15 minutes. In place of meat tenderizer, others find it more soothing to rub the area with papaya if it is readily available. Bathing in or applying colloidal oatmeal, which can be purchased at the pharmacy or grocery store, may afford additional relief. Follow these actions with the topical application of hydrocortisone cream/lotion, twice a day. If you do not have or cannot use hydrocortisone, Calamine lotion with menthol can be applied; (2) Take an oral antihistamine, such as Benardryl, if the allergic reaction continues; and (3) Wash all garments well in warm, soapy water and let dry completely before wearing again.
Remember that if you have a severe allergic reaction, don't get substantial resolution from self treatment or the eruption seems to be getting worse or infected, you should seek medical attention in a timely manner."
They are already present in Coz this year, although not in great numbers.
Best regards.
DocVikingo
"I. What are "sea lice" and what can I do about them?
A common form of skin disorder after diving is Sea Bather's Eruption, or SBE. Often mistakenly attributed to "sea lice," which are parasites of fish, SBE is primarily caused by the larval form of thimble jellyfish, very small creatures which float near the surface. The hydroid forms of certain corals and anemones also may cause the condition. Found in Florida, Mexico and the wider Caribbean, they are most numerous from March to August, with early April to early June being peak season.
The main feature of SBE is raised and itchy red welts/blotches which appear 4 to 24 hours after swimming or diving. The larvae tend to attach to swim wear, dive suits and hair, causing the skin under covered areas of the body and around the back of the neck to be most affected. Depending on exposure and individual sensitivity, there may be fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, generalized weakness or chills.
Prevention of stings is the best way to combat SBE. You should: (1) Ask resorts and dive shops if they are aware of heavy infestation; (2) Wear a snug fitting full body protective suit which fits tightly at the neck, wrist and ankle. Swim suits and T-shirts are not recommended; (3) Apply a thin layer of sun protectant, baby oil or petroleum jelly to the skin; (4) Remove wet garments immediately and wash yourself thoroughly. Do not rinse off with any items on; and (5) When surfacing, vigorously purge your second stage above your head just before breaking the water. If on a night dive, turn your light off at the safety stop and keep it off.
If you do get stung: (1) Immediately apply a mixture of 1/2 isopropyl alcohol and 1/2 vinegar to affected skin areas. Repeat every 10 minutes for half an hour. Some persons get relief by putting on a thin paste of meat tenderizer and allowing to dry. Wash off after about 15 minutes. In place of meat tenderizer, others find it more soothing to rub the area with papaya if it is readily available. Bathing in or applying colloidal oatmeal, which can be purchased at the pharmacy or grocery store, may afford additional relief. Follow these actions with the topical application of hydrocortisone cream/lotion, twice a day. If you do not have or cannot use hydrocortisone, Calamine lotion with menthol can be applied; (2) Take an oral antihistamine, such as Benardryl, if the allergic reaction continues; and (3) Wash all garments well in warm, soapy water and let dry completely before wearing again.
Remember that if you have a severe allergic reaction, don't get substantial resolution from self treatment or the eruption seems to be getting worse or infected, you should seek medical attention in a timely manner."
They are already present in Coz this year, although not in great numbers.
Best regards.
DocVikingo
scottfiji
Contributor
Just to add in my 2 sense, I just got back from Cozumel on Saturday, and we swam through thousands of Adult thimble jellyfish (which don't seem to sting, unless they touch your lip, which happens when you snorkel through them) on several dives.. And most of the shoreline is completely coverered in them. I even have good pictures and video of them! I've read that you can't see the larvae, so I can't attest to whether the larvae are in the water or not, but I was wearing a tight-fitting 3mm shorty. The last couple of days I have a few itchy red-blotches/welts appear, but nothing too severe, except for the ones from the feathery hydroids, which got me when I exited a swimthrough. Those are *really* bad. I'm not sure if my smaller red-blotches are from the thimble jellyfish larvae, or the hydroids, but they are fairly minor, and are nowhere near as bad as some of the pictures I've seen on the web.
Does anybody know how effective "Sea Safe" lotion might be in preventing stings from the lice and jellies?
Doc Vikingo suggested rinsing off after removing all garments... does this mean standing on the deck of the dive boat nude while rinsing?
Would wearing gloves help? I also wonder about the effectiveness of wearing a hood... it almost sounds like these garments would trap the critters against the skin and scalp... to be quite honest, I am not looking forward to diving through these creatures. (I'm sure I'm far, far wimpier than any other diver on this forum). :babycrawl
Many thanks for your help!
Doc Vikingo suggested rinsing off after removing all garments... does this mean standing on the deck of the dive boat nude while rinsing?
Would wearing gloves help? I also wonder about the effectiveness of wearing a hood... it almost sounds like these garments would trap the critters against the skin and scalp... to be quite honest, I am not looking forward to diving through these creatures. (I'm sure I'm far, far wimpier than any other diver on this forum). :babycrawl
Many thanks for your help!
The way I understand it, exposure to fresh water causes the nematocysts in jellyfish tentacles (and sea lice are larval jellyfish) to fire, so any of them that are bound up in clothing will getya if you rinse in fresh water before removing the clothing. I believe that drying sets them off as well, so it seems to me the thing to do would be to remain wet with salt water until such time as you can get out of your wetsuit or whatever else you are wearing diving.tdesola:
- Messages
- 5,721
- Reaction score
- 474
Here is an article I wrote on SafeSea about 6 months ago-->
"Getting Nailed by Jellies ... a commercial preventative lotion proves effective"
http://scuba-doc.com/safesea.html
Best regards.
DocVikingo
"Getting Nailed by Jellies ... a commercial preventative lotion proves effective"
http://scuba-doc.com/safesea.html
Best regards.
DocVikingo
I bought two bottles as I am tired of getting stung.
Of course I would be interested to know what the active ingredient is.
Of course I would be interested to know what the active ingredient is.
mediakzar
Contributor
Our family physician recommended an over the counter lotion called Pramagel (my spelling may be off on that) that was very effective in relieving the itching we experienced from sea lice a few years back. Nothing else we tried worked nearly as well.
JK
http://www.mxtravel.com/cozumel.html
JK
http://www.mxtravel.com/cozumel.html
- Messages
- 5,721
- Reaction score
- 474
.... that well may prove soothing to cnidarian envenomations, although it is not a protectant.
Best regards.
DocVikingo
Best regards.
DocVikingo
Similar threads
