A wonderful thing about living in the southeast near the ocean is that the water is still warm and the days are still hot and sunny through early fall. But September along the South Carolina coast has warm water visitors than can ruin a perfect beach day.
Sea Nettles are stinging jellyfish found in Edisto Beach waters in the late summer months.
Jellyfish stings occur when a person comes into contact with the tentacles of the creature which contain millions of stinging cells filled with venom.
The stings usually kill small sea creatures that the jellyfish uses for food, but they can also be harmful to humans. They don’t attack people because they have limited control over how they move, but anyone who comes into contact with the jellyfish while it is floating in the water will suffer a severe sting.
The severity of the sting depends on the species, the thickness of the skin on the person, and the sensitivity of the person to the venom.
While swimming, people may often see a jellyfish floating nearby and try to avoid it, but even though a jellyfish may only be from several inches to a foot wide, its tentacles can reach lengths of 100 feet.
Amazingly, when jellyfish or their tentacles wash up on shore, they are still dangerous and toxic for months even if they look dried out.
Different types of jellyfish found along the South Carolina coast are: Cannonball, Mushroom, Moon, Lion’s Main, Sea Nettle, and Sea Wasp. The stings vary in severity according to the species.
The most dangerous venomous creature that resembles a jellyfish is the Portuguese Man-of-War. It is not a true jellyfish, though it looks like one. These creatures are larger than jellyfish and highly venomous with blue and purple tentacles extending up to 65 feet in length. They are usually found in tropical waters, but if a large number of storms occur in the Atlantic, they will drift into South Carolina waters.
Symptoms of jellyfish stings:
Symptoms depend upon the victim’s sensitivity, but the typical symptoms are shooting pain, a shocklike sensation, intense joint and muscle pain, headaches, shock, faintess, chills, fever, nausea, and collapse.
Contact with a Portuguese Man-of-War is much more dangerous because in an effort to escape the sting, the victim usually jerks away which tears tentacles off the creature. These tentacles stick to the skin causing extreme pain and skin damage. As long as the tentacles remain on the skin, they will continue to discharge venom. The stings can cause excruciating pain, severe blistering nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, muscle spasms, and low blood pressure.
Treating stings:
To treat the stings of all of the venomous sea creatures, you will need a bottle of vinegar and a can of “Sting No More” spray. Jellyfish and especially Portuguese Man-of-War tentacles will continue to discharge venom as long as they are on the skin, and nothing else will stop the discharge except vinegar. Next, seek medical attention since sting reactions vary from person to person and also depend on the victim’s sensitivity.
If treating the wound yourself, use hydrocortisone cream twice a day. Lidocaine or benzocaine may give short term pain relief along with over the counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
If you plan on going to the beach anytime soon, take your bathing suit, snacks, beverages, towels, and sunscreen, but don’t forget to pack a bottle of vinegar, too. It’s the jellyfish time of year.
