Seawasp jellyfish at Lameshur today!!!!!!!!!

[Pia]

Well at least I think it was a seawasp - if you scroll to the link it was exactly the picture shown.

We had just arrived and the lady next to us dove in and came out screaming - luckily I had vinegar and it helped. My niece and I looked in the water the rest of the time we were there and saw quite a few of the jellyfish pictured so do be careful if you are heading there this week - I have never seen this type on STJ before and never this late in season for the ones more commonly seen in Aug/Sept

We have been to Dennis, Maho and Francis so far this week and have only seen them on Lameshur.

Pia

http://www.b-v-i.com/Nature/marine.htm

[toni]

Those are what I saw at Lameshur and wrote about in my report! I just thought they were baby jellyfish 'cause they were small. But there were a lot of them. Got me out of the water in a flash-they were really close to shore. Thanks for identifying them!

[mahojim]

Smiles-
MJ

[Jumbiegirl]

We got stung by lots of sea wasps in Great Cruz Bay one year. We suddenly found ourselves in a swarm and felt like we were being poked with little needles.

[Carolyn]

WOW...I wasn't even thinking they were more than baby jellyfish either! I saw them at Lameshur a couple weeks ago, very close to the shore and was amazed at the numbers but no problems w/ getting stung. Wonder what makes us attractive ? The mosquito's had a feast on me when we first arrived, but the jellyfish left me alone. Thanks for the info Pia! nice link too.

[hugo]

The seawasps show up only every three or four years, and they are usually only around for 3-4 days maximum, usually on the either the north or the south, but not both. Sometimes a lot, sometimes only a few. They can occur at any time of year, I was stung at Haulover north in December many years ago.
The jellyfish other people have been seeing are probably not these--maybe little comb jellies? Given the length of the tentacles, seawasps are hard to avoid, and very painful--I've seen ambulance calls and heard serious screaming, and nobody stays in the water!

[liamsaunt]

I have seen jellyfish that are this shape, but I don't remember the tentacles...must have been something else. That lady was lucky you were there with vinegar, Pia...ouch!

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[Carolyn]

I have yet to go thru my underwater photos so I am HOPING I took some shots of what I saw. They sure looked like the example Pia posted, w/ super long tentacles. They had that box-like body shown in her link, and were super transparent. I was fascinated by them as I had never seen jellies like that but my husband completely missed them. No one that was there that day seemed aware or affected by them, and I was certainly not aware of danger. I sure hope I have a picture of them but I won't know til I take the pixs thru photoshop and that will happen after the holidays.

[toes in the sand]

I wonder if the other method of relieving the jellyfish sting works on these seawasp jellyfish.

That would have been awkward.

And weird.

If I were stung and in pain, and had no vinegar, I don't think I would mind. It would be awkward. And weird.

If you follow the link that Pia provided it re-enforced what I have been told about human bodily fluids not being helpful in relieving the pain and may be harmful both because of infection concerns and because it may cause more damage.

"Alcohol and human urine are common nematocyst remedies, but both can be harmful. An Australian study reports that both alcohol and urine caused massive discharge of box jellyfish nematocysts."

Pia, it was good that you happened to have some vinegar at the beach with you. Do you always carry it to be beach or where you planning on pickling some sea cucumbers?

[Maggy]

I've seen these in Virgin Gorda a couple of years ago. We reported it to the management where we were staying and they followed us down to the beach to verify it. After that warning signs came up. They are really painful and can be dangerous.

The day after they were gone luckily.