First-Aid For Jellyfish Stings

The waters won’t tell you where the jellyfish are, and chances are you aren’t going to see it before you are stung. So how do you know it’s a jellyfish that stung you?

Symptoms:
♠ Burning pain for the first hour
♠ A rash where the sting occurred
♠ Nausea, Headaches, Weakness, Dizziness, Cramps
♠ Chest pains, hyperventilation, Severe Vomiting

The rash will sting and, depending on the type of jellyfish, can take just a few hours to disappear. However, some stings can leave a permanent scar. Treating the sting immediately will most likely reduce scarring.

What do I do?! It burns!:
♠ Read this How-To Treat Your Jellyfish Sting in another blog post

The deadly:
Most likely the jellyfish you encounter will not require medical help. However, there are deadly jellyfish that exist. The Box jellyfish sting needs to be treated as soon as possible. It causes cardiovascular collapse, respiratory failure, and neuromuscular paralysis, which kills. 
Knowing where Box Jellyfish are is the best way to avoid them. Later this blog will discuss the locations of jellyfish, their hot spots and hot times.

But what is the best remedy?

Prevention:
♠ Know the waters. Know the jellyfish tendencies of the area.
♠ Know the jellyfish hot spots and hot times. After a vicious storm, jellyfish can be washed ashore and be pushed closer to the beach than you want.
♠ Be prepared by purchasing jellyfish sting protection and relief products at your local diving supply store or Ebay. 
♠ Safe sea lotion neutralizes chemicals on the skin that will cause a jellyfish to sting if in contact. The lotion must be reapplied every hour or more often if active. 
♠ Wear a wet suit. For increased activity in the water, it’s better to wear a wet suit. This is the most common jellyfish sting protection, and protects a majority of the skin. The wet suit will also keep your body temperature warmer.
♠ Nylon panty hose is also an effective jellyfish sting protection. Lifeguards will wear these over their legs and arms. 

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Resources:
¹ Jellyfish Facts by Nathan Dickerson