Jellyfish in the Ionion?

whiteoaks7

whiteoaks7

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www.seasolutions.co.uk
Okay, I admit right up front that I'm paranoid when it comes to jellyfish so watching a TV program about 'Giant Jellyfish' does to me what zombies, snakes or spiders does to the average seven year old girl! I've seen them everywhere - in Scotland they were two feet in diameter, in Milford Haven they clogged the river, off Sardinia the sea was covered in all directions with viella viella and in Australia I shared the water with a Box without even knowing it was one and trembled when I learned about Irukandji - silent invisible killers. See - I'm sweating at the thought!

In the Ionion though I've only even seen jellies in the Gulf of Amvrikikas. So to my question: what encounters have you had with jellies in the Ionion? Is my favourite sea, like everywhere else in the world, suffering an increase in jellyfish numbers? What are your perceptions?

Incidentally, the program I was watching reported that the majority of box jellyfish attacks occurred in Hawaii, not Australia.
 
We have seen them in the Ionian and the Aegean, but not in huge numbers and no attacks. The worst we witnessed was in Elba, where a fit and healthy-looking young man was stung on a boat next to us. He was visibly shocked and in a good deal of pain.

The pain of stings of many sea creatures, jellyfish, weever fish, etc, can be reduced by swabbing in hot water.
 
Jellyfish in Gouvia???

Having been swimming here in the Ionian for over 25 years now, I've never seen a jellyfish, of any discription.
However, having said that, I was stung by one, whilst swimming in Gouvia Beach. The sting came from a Jellyfish (although I never saw it) and left a bright Purple/Red line, right across both buttocks.......
A couple of older ladies, on the beach, had a right old laugh applying some kind of sting remover to my little white welsh bum.
The 'Mark' was there for several months, and anyone who saw it, well I'm not so sure they believed it was a sting.....as it looked exctly what a whiplash mark would look like...!

I can say, it hurt like hell, when I was stung. What I would imagine the pain would be, if someone passed and Oxy-acetelyne torch over my skin.

Since then though, never a problem with Jellyfish.
 
Vilkho Bay was full of jellyfish last week. Mind you I wouldn't swim in there anyway. Observed some off Corfu but can't say I have seen anywhere else in Ionian.
 
I take my little boat out and have a swim at least twice a week, in between Ithaka and Kefalonia, not seen any jellyfish, plenty of sea urchins though, they can smart a bit:)
 
They're there!

Very interesting read - http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/4/1122/pdf

Some titbits

The opening of the Suez canal in 1869 has contributed to the spread of at least one family of jellyfish.

During a bloom of jellyfish the fishing industry was badly affected in the Med with the mass of jellyfish being hauled aboard frequently being more than the fish ( wonder what the relationship is to the thread about lack of fish in the Med )

Pelagia noctiluca is the most dangerous Med jellyfish. A study in 2000 recorded over 59 000 severe sting cases by this family.

Right that's one less tourist in the med next year :) :) :)

The good news is the 'season' looks like it's November to May ( which might explain why we fair weather sailors see them infrequently )
 
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Had a very similar experience to Cariadco in anchorage just to NW of Bonifacio,Corsica over two months ago and the marks are still there! Whilst scrubbing off a few barnacles I think I trapped a light brown,smallish jellyfish (there were plenty around) between my upper arm and torso and I presume the toxins in the tentacles caused the incredible pain which was around for a week or so.The immediate shock,coupled with the pain made worse by swimming,getting flippers off and climbing back on board kept me out of the sea for a while!
 
Stingers

'Saw lots of real beautes in Katacolon (W.Peloponese) last week and even took a picture!
They were maybe 18 inches long and were only there during the flat calm of the early morning. As soon as there was any wind chop they disappeared..... and I do mean disappeared because when I dived on the anchor they were nowhere to be seen. I have no idea where they went.

In Australia where there are lots of such nasties, many people wear "stinger suits" which can be anything from a lightweight suit rather like a pair of tights that covers the whole body, to something like those rather fetching lycra suits that serious cyclists seem to wear these days. I haven't seen either for sale in the Med, but I haven't really looked. However if all else fails and a fear of stingers is going to keep you out of the water I suggest you could try one of those lycra cycling outfits........ You will certainly be the belle of the beach!
 
I think (and please don't jump in to prove it) that the picture is of a sea mushroom which are quite harmless and can swim (hence why they get out of the way). There are so many of them in Mar Menor you will be able to walk across it soon!
 
Best way to alleviate a jellyfish sting is to put meat tenderiser on it, the powder sort. We keep some on board for the purpose. Worked in less than a minute when my son got stung by a sea nettle jellyfish in the Chesapeake, although I don't know if this species is in the Med. Not sure it would work with box jellyfish, so best just keep well clear.
 
White Vineger???

Saguday said:
Best way to alleviate a jellyfish sting is to put meat tenderiser on it, the powder sort. We keep some on board for the purpose. Worked in less than a minute when my son got stung by a sea nettle jellyfish in the Chesapeake, although I don't know if this species is in the Med. Not sure it would work with box jellyfish, so best just keep well clear.
Click to expand...

I thought White Vineger was the best and fastest acting pain relever for jellyfish stings?
 
Jelly fish sting treatment

The following suggested treatment was found by my wife


If you are stung by a box jellyfish, seek medical help immediately. While you are waiting for medical help, flood the area with vinegar until medical help is available and keep as still as possible. If you are not close to medical care, soak the area and tentacles for 10 minutes or more, before attempting to remove them. If the sting is on the arms or legs, you can place a pressure dressing (like an ACE wrap used for a sprained ankle) around the sting. Be careful that you do not stop blood flow the fingers and toes should always stay pink. This will help to slow down the spread of the toxin
For other jellyfish stings, soak or rinse the area in vinegar for 15-30 minutes to stop the nematocysts from releasing their toxins. If you do not have vinegar available, rinse in sea water or 70% isopropyl alcohol. Do not use fresh water! Fresh water will cause the nematocysts to continue to release their toxin. For the same reason, do not rub the area, apply ice or hot water.
Remove tentacles with a stick or a pair of tweezers. Wear gloves if you have them available.
Apply shaving cream or a paste of baking soda to the area. Shave the area with a razor or credit card to remove any adherent nematocysts. Then reapply vinegar or alcohol. The shaving cream or paste prevents nematocysts that have not been activated from releasing their toxin during removal with the razor.
Eye stings should be rinsed with a commercial saline solution like Artifical Tears; dab the skin around the eyes with a towel that has been soaked in vinegar. Do not place vinegar directly in the eyes.
Mouth stings should be treated with 1/4 strength vinegar. Mix ¼ cup of vinegar with ¾ cup of water. Gargle and spit out the solution. Do not drink or swallow the solution.
The following video has good advice even if the pictures are very irritating!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaE29Ow0XlY
 
Haven't seen any myself, but met someone with huge sting marks around her wrist last week: the jellyfish was in the glorious waters of One House Bay.
 
PaulJ said:
'Saw lots of real beautes in Katacolon (W.Peloponese) last week and even took a picture!
They were maybe 18 inches long and were only there during the flat calm of the early morning. As soon as there was any wind chop they disappeared..... and I do mean disappeared because when I dived on the anchor they were nowhere to be seen. I have no idea where they went.

In Australia where there are lots of such nasties, many people wear "stinger suits" which can be anything from a lightweight suit rather like a pair of tights that covers the whole body, to something like those rather fetching lycra suits that serious cyclists seem to wear these days. I haven't seen either for sale in the Med, but I haven't really looked. However if all else fails and a fear of stingers is going to keep you out of the water I suggest you could try one of those lycra cycling outfits........ You will certainly be the belle of the beach!
Click to expand...

Yep! Katakolon is where you get lots of them and all places south of there too.

As to "Aus", my wife's welcome to Bondi Beach two years ago was to get "Bluie"* tentacles wrapped around both ankles. NOT very nice at all.

* Bluebottle jellyfish - nasty little buggers!
 
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