usvi-on-line
Will the Jellies hurt me?
Will the Jellies hurt me?
Okay, so my daughter Lauren and I were just checking out Augie's awesome Jellyfish photo. Lauren loves to snorkel in St. John and she mentioned that it's the one thing she sees that freaks her out. She fears that the Jelly will electrocute her 
So, forum friends, will the Jellies hurt her?
So, forum friends, will the Jellies hurt her?Paula
There are a lot of dangerous things in the ocean. And all jellyfish can sting you, some worse than others.
But that's like asking, will a bear in the woods eat me? Yes, if you let them. Fortunately, jellyfish dont hunt humans. My advice would be to just be aware of your surroundings and respect the wildlife and you'll be fine. People snorkel there all the time without indecent.
But that's like asking, will a bear in the woods eat me? Yes, if you let them. Fortunately, jellyfish dont hunt humans. My advice would be to just be aware of your surroundings and respect the wildlife and you'll be fine. People snorkel there all the time without indecent.
there is something in some of the areas that can sting- but we have visited about 10 times and swum constantly and it only happened on one trip several years ago.
my daughter was stung several times one trip. once on a snorkel trip and twice in Francis Bay.
it hurt, but not worth crying-she was probably 7 or 8 at the time.
someone nearby got stung also.
the solution-just like the seinfeld episode, pee on the sting. or you can be more civilized and bring vinegar or something. The peeing worked very quickly. The kids enjoyed that immensely.
we never saw anything-I have to think it was perhaps a jellyfish that got caught in a propeller or something and the tentacles were floating around.
Another TOTALLY odd thing- and she doesn't need to know this because I am sure it was a complete freak occurence. We saw a baby portugese man of war in leinster bay. Have a photo and everything. We asked around quite a bit, snorkel boat guides, etc...they had never heard of them around in St. John and it probably just blew in from somewhere. At least that is what they said! We are 100 percent sure because of our photo. Teeny tiny, the balloon thing was about 2 inches around.
Now that I have freaked you out, she shouldn't worry a bit. REALLY!
my daughter was stung several times one trip. once on a snorkel trip and twice in Francis Bay.
it hurt, but not worth crying-she was probably 7 or 8 at the time.
someone nearby got stung also.
the solution-just like the seinfeld episode, pee on the sting. or you can be more civilized and bring vinegar or something. The peeing worked very quickly. The kids enjoyed that immensely.
we never saw anything-I have to think it was perhaps a jellyfish that got caught in a propeller or something and the tentacles were floating around.
Another TOTALLY odd thing- and she doesn't need to know this because I am sure it was a complete freak occurence. We saw a baby portugese man of war in leinster bay. Have a photo and everything. We asked around quite a bit, snorkel boat guides, etc...they had never heard of them around in St. John and it probably just blew in from somewhere. At least that is what they said! We are 100 percent sure because of our photo. Teeny tiny, the balloon thing was about 2 inches around.
Now that I have freaked you out, she shouldn't worry a bit. REALLY!
The common jellies, moon and comb, are almost imperceptible in their sting. We do get an outbreak of box jellies (very painful, hard to see) every few years, usually in the summer, and also the occasional lone Portuguese-man-of-war, cauliflower or other potent stinger. There are also free-floating nematocysts that can give you an intense but very short-lived pain. In recent years, I only remember one serious bout: there were box jellies at all the north shore beaches for 4 days or so in May or June of 1999, a few people went to the clinic, but there were no lasting effects. Generally, once the first person gets stung, the word gets around very fast.
There are also Upside-Down Jellyfish in the waters of St. John (normally resting on the shallow sandy bottoms and they don't look like regular jellies) and, although they are mildly toxic, their stings are not threatening to humans just like those of Moon Jellyfish. Some folks may experience pain or irritation in their skin especially if they have sensitive skin, though.
Upside-Down Jellyfish in the very shallows of Leinster/Waterlemon Bay:
If you are worried about getting stung, bring vinegar with you to the beach. I've also heard about an after sting gel called "Jellyfish Sting Relief" sold online by Safe Sea. They sell sunscreens with a formula that supposedly protects you from jellies too. I have no idea how well any of these works. Maybe someone else does.
We have never been stung by anything in the waters of St. John so far and frankly we don't worry about it much. My husband wears a long-sleeve rashguard and I wear a thin neoprene shirt (even thicker than a rashguard) while snorkeling, which may help too - though our legs are exposed.
Upside-Down Jellyfish in the very shallows of Leinster/Waterlemon Bay:
If you are worried about getting stung, bring vinegar with you to the beach. I've also heard about an after sting gel called "Jellyfish Sting Relief" sold online by Safe Sea. They sell sunscreens with a formula that supposedly protects you from jellies too. I have no idea how well any of these works. Maybe someone else does.
We have never been stung by anything in the waters of St. John so far and frankly we don't worry about it much. My husband wears a long-sleeve rashguard and I wear a thin neoprene shirt (even thicker than a rashguard) while snorkeling, which may help too - though our legs are exposed.
