Nantucket Sound jellyfish stings

shreddux · Joined: 22 Apr 2000 Posts: 7

Yesterday I got stung by a jellyfish near Stage Harbor/Hardings Beach area while waterstarting and a short while later another windsurfer suffered the same misery.
This has happened to me a few years back at West Dennis beach also. It wrapped around my knee and I felt the sting immediately and produced redness and swelling both times which lasted for several hours.

https://yesterdaysisland.com/dangerous-beauties-jellyfish/

rswabsin · Joined: 14 May 2000 Posts: 444 Location: New Jersey

Some years back I was sailing at the Canadian Hole in Hatteras on a light wind day. The wind dropped further and I was in chest deep water and couldn't waterstart. I slowly waded through the water walking towards shore and waiting for a gust to waterstart. As I walked, It felt like wet tissue paper was sliding past my body - almost soothing.... and then the stinging pain set in. Hundreds if not thousands of small jellyfish were in the water. The constant stinging was almost unbearable, luckily I waterstarted and got out of there.

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

August is jellyfish time, they are always around this time of the year. Nina managed to get stung on two successive days at Kalmus last week, despite wearing long pants and long sleeved lycra. Might have something to do with here tendency to throw herself into the water. But otherwise, the number at jellys at Kalmus seems lower than most years, and there have been very few reports of stings. Nevertheless, I'm glad is has cooled down enough for long 2 mm wetsuits to be comfy again.

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

And there there's the story of the kiter who fell into a 2 mile jellyfish swarm and could not relaunch because of a broken kite:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5481284/Kite-surfer-stranded-in-poisonous-jellyfish-shoal.html

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

I'll take back what I said about the number of jellyfish at Kalmus. We went foiling yesterday, and there were lots of jellyfish in the water - enough that I really did not want to fall, despite wearing neoprene and booties. It's easier to see them when you're going slow and the water is flat, I guess.

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

We went foiling at Kalmus again today, and the jellyfish situation has gotten worse. Close to the Hyannis Port Harbor, I saw a swarm that must have had several hundred individuals within an area of maybe 100 x 100 feet. They looked like Sea Nettles, and Nina verified that their sting is very painful by diving head-first into one, and getting stung all over her face and neck. It's getting better now, 3 hours later, after vinegar treatment and a very long, very hot shower.

On the other hand, Duxbury Bay was lovely yesterday, with quite a crowd on the water. Not a single jellies there - maybe they don't like the cold water.

7176 · Joined: 23 Apr 1987 Posts: 122

Peter, sorry to hear that Nina got stung like that. Hope she heals quickly.
Tom