Caribbean jelly fish & sea lice - - -

[Romy40]

I saw on the news that Florida beaches have lots of jelly fish right now, and hundreds of people have been stung. Is this a problem in the Caribbean? Can you "see" the jelly fish, and hence avoid them? I bought some sun screen with jelly fish repellent. Anyone know if it works? I also bought some After Sting. Am I being paranoid?

[AzJenn]

I don't think your being paranoid.

 

A few years ago when we were in Barbados they mentioned to us that there had been reports of sea lice, and we decided to get in the water anyways because they said it wasn't that bad.

 

As soon as I got in the water it felt like little pin pricks. It wasn't fun.

 

I can't give you any advice on the jelly fish, however I would probably do the same thing as you did, buy anything to help repel it...lol. Good luck!

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes you are being paranoid.

[gcvt]

I saw on the news that Florida beaches have lots of jelly fish right now, and hundreds of people have been stung. Is this a problem in the Caribbean? Can you "see" the jelly fish, and hence avoid them? I bought some sun screen with jelly fish repellent. Anyone know if it works? I also bought some After Sting. Am I being paranoid?

 

I didn't even know such a product existed!

 

As to your paranoia question, this thread could be entertaining :p

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I saw on the news that Florida beaches have lots of jelly fish right now, and hundreds of people have been stung. Is this a problem in the Caribbean? Can you "see" the jelly fish, and hence avoid them? I bought some sun screen with jelly fish repellent. Anyone know if it works? I also bought some After Sting. Am I being paranoid?

 

I've only been stung one time by a jelly fish in all the years of travel to the Caribbean, so no it doesn't stop me from going in the water. It could happen just as easily even at home in Florida.

[Life is Good Cruising]

In all the years going to the Caribbean and even the Jersey shore, I have never been bitten by a Jelly fish or encountered sea lice.

 

In my first aid kit, I do bring hydro cortisone topical cream just in case of any insect bites or itchiness.

 

I didn't know such a product existed either and yes you are being paranoid.

 

Enjoy your vacation!

[Widebay]

If you travel to Australia, just be careful, and take heed of warning signs on various beaches in northern Australia, such as:- Beach closed due to one of the following -

 

"Warning Crocodile sighted on this beach"

 

"Box jellyfish - danger" - very dangerous.

 

"Irrikandji - danger" (this jellyfish is tiny - about the size of your thumb nail, with deadly tentacles causing the sting.

 

(the last two items - the sting from either a box jellyfish & Irrikandji can cause agonising pain or even death)

[whataboutport]

If sea lice is the same as sand fleas or "no-see-ums" then yes you do need to be worried. I am extremely sensitive to any insect bites. I even used Deet while on Maya Key/Roatan and got bit the hell up. Initially the bites weren't TOO bad. It was after I got home about 2 weeks later that they came back with a vengeance! The bites left scars and that are barely fading now almost a year later and the itching lasted almost a month.

 

I don't think you're being overly paranoid. Only you know if you sensitive to these things. Everyone does things that others think are paranoid.

 

But I never knew there was such a thing as jelly fish repellant. They are delicious BTW. But I think the species that people eat are the moon ones.

[dancinman66]

Good advice there nice to see the warnings going out on what we have in Australia

Good thinking 99

 

 

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[Lovetocruiseprincess]

If you travel to Australia, just be careful, and take heed of warning signs on various beaches in northern Australia, such as:- Beach closed due to one of the following -

 

"Warning Crocodile sighted on this beach"

 

"Box jellyfish - danger" - very dangerous.

 

"Irrikandji - danger" (this jellyfish is tiny - about the size of your thumb nail, with deadly tentacles causing the sting.

 

(the last two items - the sting from either a box jellyfish & Irrikandji can cause agonising pain or even death)

 

Aside from the items you've mentioned, you've got some other mean & nasty things on shore down there. :(

[MSN-Travelers]

I saw on the news that Florida beaches have lots of jelly fish right now, and hundreds of people have been stung. Is this a problem in the Caribbean? Can you "see" the jelly fish, and hence avoid them? I bought some sun screen with jelly fish repellent. Anyone know if it works? I also bought some After Sting. Am I being paranoid?

 

Asking a generic question about “jellyfish” is on the same level as asking about “sharks”. There are many types and some are more hazardous than others. And the “Caribbean” covers a huge area. What variety you may find in given any location, if at all, will vary. They range in size from “pencil tip” to over 6 feet.

 

We vacation regularly in Puerto Vallarta. We have occasionally encountered a variety that is about the size of the fingernail on your pinky and smaller. Easy to see and avoid. One year, ocean currents brought a huge bloom into Banderas Bay that literally shut done all water excursions. There were so many that you could almost walk across the water on them. It took three days before the same current swept them back out into the ocean.

 

Jellies don’t attack people, people bump into them or their body parts after they die. I’m not sure how a “repellent” would work. The “after sting” will work with some varieties and do nothing for others. Household vinegar would be simple expedient treatment.

 

“Sea Lice” affect fish, not people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabather%27s_eruption

 

Paranoid?? Maybe. It doesn’t hurt to learn what hazards you may encounter in your travels but jellyfish on a Florida beach wouldn’t generically keep me out of “Caribbean” waters. Look for reports that are specific to the ports/beaches you will visit.

[SeagoingMom]

"Paranoid" may be too strong a word, but your concern is valid. Even after getting verification from the tour operator that jellies were unlikely to be a problem, we still ended up snorkeling in Bonaire in a soup of thimble jellies, and experienced the same constant "pin prick" effects described by AzJenn. It was not pleasant. Even the guide, in full wetsuit, was stung on the face, neck and hands, and we all found that the jellies got stuck inside our masks and swim suits and stung even more!

 

I know the jelly-repellant you are referring to -- I bought some, too, but only after my experience in Bonaire! The repellant is not advertised to work against all jellies. I can't say whether it works at all, as I have not experienced jellies again.

 

Jellies are generally seasonal. http://www.allatsea.net/jellyfish-season/

 

"Sea lice" are actually thimble jelly larvae; they sting and cause itching. Interesting article here: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98540

 

Yes, there are deadly jellies, almost exclusively in Australasia. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/box-jellyfish/

 

We have snorkeled or swum at Key West, Nassau, Half Moon Cay, Dominican Republic, St. John, Aruba, Belize, Cozumel and Honduras, but only encountered that one jelly problem in Bonaire. On the other hand, my son seems to regularly get stung by some sort of jelly when he swims in the Atlantic at Jacksonville Beach, FL!

 

 

[Hlitner]

Paranoid? No. But it is just one of those measured risks taken by those of us who love the sea. DW and I now spend over 4 months a year near beaches and routinely swim, dive and snorkel in warm waters all over the world. Jellyfish and sea lice (thought to be young or tiny jellyfish) are a risk in any warm water. We have been stung plenty of times while vacationing in the Caribbean, Florida, South Carolina and Maryland. In fact, we often carry a spritzer bottle full of white vinegar for just such occurrences. Unless there is an unusually high risk we do not let them keep us out of the water. We would add that most jellyfish stings along the east coast and the Caribbean are similar to a minor bee sting (unless you are allergic). The only major concern would be Man of War...and those need to be avoided! We would also add that in Australia (and nearby places) they have a type of tiny jellyfish (about the size of a fingernail) that can be quite deadly. They are often referred to as "box jellyfish" and one needs to wear a lightweight wet suit if there are any in the area. But these creatures are not an issue along the east coast of the US.

 

Hank

[biker@sea]

Try Sea Safe = http://www.buysafesea.com/

[Romy40]

Thanks to those who posted replies.

I will let you all know how it goes with the critters!

 

Romy:D

[wwcruisers]

Paranoid? I don't think you can be too careful, when it comes to jelly-fish. When we went to Bermuda, we learned that their beaches are often plagued by Portuguese Man-of-War (arguably, the Mother of all Jelly-fish). :eek:

They tell you to stay away from them, and do not (under any circumstances) touch any part of a dead one that you might find washed up on the beach. If you get stung by one, you are advised to seek immediate medical help. Needless to say, we kept an eye out for any bluish-purple "balloons" when we were in the water! Fortunately, we did not encounter any. :cool:

[sail7seas]

I'd decide whether to get in the water based upon the reports of sea critters at the time I was at that beach. If the 'locals' were swimming and saying the jelly fish and sea lice were not an issue that day, great!

[wwcruisers]

I'd decide whether to get in the water based upon the reports of sea critters at the time I was at that beach. If the 'locals' were swimming and saying the jelly fish and sea lice were not an issue that day, great!

 

Yep -- the locals usually know! :cool:

[Romy40]

Back from our cruise, and happy to report NO JELLY FISH, AND NO

SEA LICE!!

[cb at sea]

You can see jellyfish....they are blobby and have tentacles that dangle dangerously below them. Yes...they hurt...like a bee sting. Only the very sensitive will have lasting effects from a normal jellyfish. Portugese man of war can be deadly, but we don't have them in the Caribbean/atlantic area.

[OCruisers]

Sea Lice are why bathing suits should be washed out after being in the ocean. ;)

LuLu

[riddle]

Sand fleas are horrible. i got them in Roatan. I immediately bought a bug spray but it was too late. Started out with little welts until my legs, arms and back were covered with huge bites. Lasted the entire cruise and into the next several weeks.

[Fors78]

Just dont worry about it and have a good time!

[navybankerteacher]

You can see jellyfish....they are blobby and have tentacles that dangle dangerously below them. Yes...they hurt...like a bee sting. Only the very sensitive will have lasting effects from a normal jellyfish. Portugese man of war can be deadly, but we don't have them in the Caribbean/atlantic area.

 

If you mean that part of the Atlantic adjacent to the Caribbean, you may be right - but they do appear on occasion all along the Atlantic coast at least as far North as Cape Cod.

[Hlitner]

You can see jellyfish....they are blobby and have tentacles that dangle dangerously below them. Yes...they hurt...like a bee sting. Only the very sensitive will have lasting effects from a normal jellyfish. Portugese man of war can be deadly, but we don't have them in the Caribbean/atlantic area.

 

We have to politely disagree. Yes, you can see some Jellyfish such as the moon jellyfish and several other types we see along the Atlantic coast. But there are other jellyfish that are difficult (to impossible) to see. Sea lice are an example and most folks do not even have a clue until after they have been stung numerous times. Some of the most deadly Box Jellyfish, found around Australia and in some other parts of the south Pacific, can be as small as a fingernail and very difficult to spot. If you are stung by one of these guys you will either live a painful few days in a hospital (unless they induce a medical coma) or you die before you get to the hospital. Ironically, the large Portuguese Man of War (not really a jellyfish) can be hard to spot until you are stung. Their tentacles can extend about 30 feet (while their shell floats on the surface out of sight) and their sting is very nasty.

 

So what is one to do? If we are swimming off a strange beach we like to scout the beach for creatures that might have washed up on the sand. Even a single Man of War means..."stay out of the water." It is the same if we spot a Box Jellyfish. As to the Moon Jellyfish we will usually take our chances if there are not too many on the beach...but it is a risk.

 

A few years ago we were in Cairns, Australia to dive an snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef. One day, as we were going to the reef about 20 miles off shore our dive master said there were no Box Jellyfish in the area and there was no need for wet suits (or skins) for snorkeling. The following day we were back on the reef a few miles from that spot and heard that a dive instructor had been stung the day before by a Box Jelly fish. She was airlifted to a hospital and apparently survived.

 

Hank

Edited September 24, 2014 by Hlitner