Jellyfish make nettlesome return
Summer at the beach means close encounters of the stinging kind
Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier
Sea nettles swim at the South Carolina Aquarium on Tuesday. The long trailing tentacles have hundreds of cells that can impart a painful sting.
Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier
A cannonball jellyfish swims Tuesday at the S.C. Aquarium.
The sting came out of nowhere. The swimmer yelped and leaped from the surf at Folly Beach. But there was nothing there in the water. Except a tentacle.
Sea nettles have moved in for the summer along the Lowcountry coast, those gooey, saucerlike jellyfish that dangle tentacles armed with hundreds on hundreds of cells that fire venomous barbs. They sting like a bee.
What's worse, sea nettles can sting when they're not even around. Rough surf can break off the nettle's nearly invisible tentacles, leaving them free floating but still capable of firing their venomous barbs.
It's a ticklish little rite of summer at the beach. When the water gets warm enough, days of onshore winds or high surf can push swarms of nettles in toward shore — a lot of them.
Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island had more than 40 people stung Friday, part of a spike in stings for the past two weeks that had Kiawah town beach patrols reporting an average of 30 per day last week. Most stings are minor, and only a small percentage of swimmers get stung. But the Charleston County park is flying the purple flag to warn swimmers.
"We've seen a couple of bad stings, where you can see the welts and you could actually see the tentacle drag marks," park manager Phillip Eldred said. A few stings per day are being reported at the Isle of Palms county park, said Kevin Gillum, assistant beach parks manager.
Don't bother to flinch. Last summer, Hilton Head Island beaches were swamped by so many jellyfish that more than 3,000 swimmers were stung the first week of August, after 6,200 were stung in July. Is it any better this year?
At a glance
The locals
These two are commonly found in Lowcountry waters:
Sea Nettle: Saucer-shaped, brown or red pigments, usually 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Most abundant in summer. Four arms and long marginal tentacles hang from the bell and can extend several feet. Sting symptoms considered moderate to severe.
Cannonball: Round white bell, brown or purple pigment band. Rarely larger than 10 inches. No tentacles. Most commonly seen and one of the least venomous jellyfish.
The facts
These sea creatures:
--Have no brain
--Swim by contracting muscles to force out jets of water; movement depends on currents, tides and wind.
--Eat zooplankton, other jellyfish, small fish and crustaceans.
--Sting to paralyze or kill prey, and to defend themselves against predators.
"About the same," said Ralph Wagner, Shore Beach Service director. "We've had about 8,000 stings." Of course, Hilton Head has more than a million tourists per summer.
Sea nettles are one of four venomous jellyfish along the coast. The most feared is the Portugese man-of-war; it can grow 10 inches long and trail tentacles as long as 60 feet. Its sting has been described as shocking, producing nauseating pain in joints and muscles. The most venomous jellyfish is the 6-inch-long sea wasp. But it and the man-of-war are rarely seen here. South Carolina Aquarium aquarist Shannon Teders couldn't recall a confirmed man-of-war sting.
The other is the lion's mane, a little bigger and maybe a little more venomous than the sea nettle. But it's considered a winter jellyfish and is seen mostly in March. The cannonball, the big beanie-shaped jellyfish, is the most commonly seen, but doesn't sting swimmers.
Waves of jellyfish wash onto Lowcountry beaches so routinely each summer that it's tough to say whether their numbers are increasing. But reports are coming from around the Atlantic Ocean and across the world that jellyfish are turning up in bigger numbers and in more places than they have been seen before.
Researchers suspect that pollution, rising sea temperatures and over-fishing of natural predators, such as tuna and sharks, are contributing to the population boom. And that's not good news for the health of the ocean ecosystem.
But for here and now, the worst is over, right? Nope. About 30 sea nettles were dip-netted "in a matter of minutes" Monday by four people on a South Carolina Aquarium boat three miles out to sea, Teders said. There were a lot more nettles out there, and they will be around until the waters cool in September.
"The sea nettles will be in for a little while longer," she said. "They're definitely at their peak right now."
Reach Bo Petersen at 745-5852 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
This article has 19 comment(s)
Posted by iceman1978 on August 6, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The cannonball is harmless. I've seen them when I'm in the lineup at the washout. You can pick one up and they're about the size of a baseball.
Sea nettles hurt, but if you get out of the water and put some meat tendorizer or vinegar on it you should be ok. Only a small fraction of those stung will require medical attention. We rarely get man-of-wars but a sting from one of those can cause anaphylectic shock.
In the winter I never worry about jellyfish because I have a wetsuit on.
Posted by Tammie on August 6, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am scared of jellyfish!! Lol When I was in 5th grade and my class went to the beach, this girl got stung by one and she thought her leg was going to fall off. So did I. I dont like them, if I see one dead or alive, I will run and scream like a little girl and I dont care who laughs at me. Lol
Posted by Tammie on August 6, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That was cold Archdude! Lol Red Stripe is why I am pregnant, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!! Lol
Sidenote..jellyfish do look like condoms...
Posted by coastal1 on August 6, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The facts
These "Politician" creatures:
--Have no brain
--Swim by contracting muscles to force out jets of hot air; movement depends on currents, tides and wind.
--Eat constituents, the little guy, other jellyfish, small business', small fish, crustaceans, italian ice and tacos.
--Sting with back room deals and payoffs to paralyze or kill prey, and to defend themselves against predators.
Posted by cte on August 6, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Jellyfish suck. I like swimming in the ocean, but I'm still scared of being stung by one of these suckers.
Posted by LadyRenegade on August 6, 2008 at 11:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I got stung so many times when I was a kid I swear I could've refilled the ocean with my tears! The sand thing is what my mom did, she would just bury my leg in the sand and I'd cry my eyes out...then go right back into the water. *duh* When I was 18 we went to Daytona Beach and the first thing I asked was "Are there jellyfish here?" I didn't get stung if there were. Since then I've not had to worry about them. Little buggers don't get in my swimming pool and I don't go in their ocean. :)
Posted by Cid95 on August 6, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Vigorously rubbing sand immediately on the affected area helps, the abrasiveness removes the little barbs. The pain will go away.
I did get stung by a Man of War on Sullivan's once when I was a kid, god damn that hurt! Just thinking about it now, nearly 30 years later, still makes me cringe. Like poking barbed needles and molten lava that wouldn't stop. The marks looked like stitches for days.
Posted by AHLeland on August 6, 2008 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
A jelly fish sting is a right of passage. After the first 20 or so over the course of a couple of summers, you don't even get out of the water anymore. A man of war is a different story. One of those stung me when I was about 10. That's a pain you never forget.
Posted by iceman1978 on August 6, 2008 at 12:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If there were reports of man-of-wars in the area I would either avoid surfing or just wear a wetsuit. It would be very hot wearing it in the summer, but better than getting stung by one of those.
Posted by Tammie on August 6, 2008 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What exactly are Man of wars? I've seen them on an episode of Baywatch but never knew if they were related to jellyfish.
Posted by Cid95 on August 6, 2008 at 12:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know the zoological classification, but they have a jellyfish-like body but LONG tentacles (as the article mentions). Their venom is especially painful and because their tentacles are so long and thin you can't even see them at all. To me, they are just uber badass jellyfish.
If you get stung, you WILL know it. I was rolling on the beach like I was having a seizure. I think I was 8 or 9 maybe.
Posted by AHLeland on August 6, 2008 at 12:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Tammie- They are called a Portugese man o' war and are technically not one creature but a colony of them. They are actually very pretty. They look kind of like a clear latex balloon floating on the water with all the trailing tentacles. Google them to see pictures.
Posted by Tammie on August 6, 2008 at 12:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Cid and Leland...They are very pretty...
http://www.aboututila.com/Photos/AdamLav...
...til someone gets hurt!
http://members.iconn.net/~marlae/manofwa...
That just sent chills up my back!
Posted by shoelaces on August 6, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow!! Jellyfish? In the ocean? Duh...
This high influx of these creatures usually occurs twice a year - early spring and late summer. We see the jelly balls (I think the story calls them cannons) throughout the summer. The kids like to play with these.
I can remember having vinegar and baking soda put on one sting, sand rubbed on one, tobacco on one, and meat tenderizer. Rumor has it female urine works to take out the sting too.
We keep a nice supply of meat tenderizer on the boat for just such occasions.
Posted by TAR1 on August 6, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I got stung twice Saturday on the same foot. It hurt like hell for a while and now itches like crazy. I never saw a thing and I was in less than a foot of water. It must have been a tentacle floating.
Posted by PalmettoDP on August 6, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ugh - I got stung more times at Edisto growing up than I can count. They haven't been as bad in the last couple of years, at least where my family swiwns. Just for saying that, I'll probably get stung this weekend :)
Posted by charleston_grown on August 6, 2008 at 6:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yes, all jellyfish are cnidarians, and are infact colonies of organisms that aggregate together and take on different jobs (such as stinging cells, digestive, etc...)
anyway, man-o-war stings are painful but not terrible. I was stung once by a man-o-war when I was around 12 years old, and had the tentacles wrapped all around my legs and it actually left scars for 2 months. Not pleasant, but since then I have been stung about 3 or 4 times by man-o-wars and the sting has gotten progressively less painful. I worked down for the NPS in S. Florida, and would see literally 100 man-o-wars a day, when we were out doing our research (january-march time period). I came up from a dive once, and actually had a man-o-war rapped around my neck (sail and all). Needless to say it was very irritating, but the pain from the stings has really seemed to have subsided (not saying it didn't hurt, but wasn't bad at all)
Posted by per3 on August 6, 2008 at 7:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Any one out there been to Edisto Beach lately, if so how bad are the jellyfish there. I know the sea turtles are there.Thanks
Posted by mamajoyce on August 24, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My family and I were at Isle of Palms Fri/Sat 15,16th. And, Folly on 17th. Three of us got hit by jellyfish. My husband and daughter were MILDLY hit. However, I, on the other hand was hit pretty bad! It's been one week now.....and I still have welts.......redness....and heat.....and itchy........and pain when I walk. Both of my legs were wrapped in the tentacles. It paralyzed me for a bit, and I could hardly walk to shore.
NOTICE: Some PPL gave me some medicine along with white vinegar. Their instructions are so contradictory to medical advice......so:
DO NOT RUB your injury! DO NOT put FRESH WATER on it! DO NOT put SAND on it! DO NOT URINATE on it! DO NOT PUT ALCOHOL ON IT! They all wanted to call 911 for me on the beach, but I held it together. My injuries were BLUE/BLACK for a few hours.
My injuries have turned into cellulitis.....and I believe it was because of the WRONG information I was told to do to my stings!!! The rubbing actually penetrates the nemotacysts deeper into your skin! WRONG thing to do!
Learn from this.
Just look up:jellyfish sting prevention on the net and you will know what to do.