Jellyfish stings are a potential hazard when swimming in the ocean. While they are a fascinating marine species, they hold many dangers for humans who come into contact with them. Only a few of the many species of jellyfish have venom that is considered dangerous to humans but they can hurt extremely bad when you come into contact with the tentacles which inject a venom.
The best way to prevent jellyfish stings is to avoid getting into water where they are found. Most beaches with known jellyfish problems will post signs and some private and public beaches are even shut down during prime jellyfish season, such as late summer.
You can never completely avoid a jellyfish sting risk unless you never go into the waters where they are found. However, if you will be swimming in the ocean, here are some tips on how to prevent jellyfish stings. These tips will help you lower your risk of stings.
Use Safe Sea Protecting Lotion
There is actually a lotion you can purchase that is waterproof for up to one hour and will help protect you from jellyfish stings as well as sea lice, sea nettles and other ocean stingers. Safe Sea also comes in a sunblock variety so you can protect your skin in and out of the water while at the beach. It costs around $15 a bottle and comes in SPF 15, 30 and 30+ for sensitive skin. They also make a jellyfish after-sting gel that helps you in the event you do get stung. At only $8 a bottle, it’s worth it to just purchase one and carry it to the beach with you just in case.
Jellyfish sting anything they come in contact with that they believe to be living. This happens because of certain chemicals on the thing that it touches, such as your skin. The protecting lotion works by masking these chemicals on the skin.
Here are some other jellyfish prevention methods:
Pantyhose
A simple piece of nylon such as pantyhose can be all it takes to protect you from jellyfish stings. Some believe this is because many types of jellyfish do not have stingers long enough to penetrate past the nylon mesh and others have stingers that activate when they come in contact with skin. Preventing this contact with pantyhose can save you from a sting.
Wetsuit
If you want to have better protection than a nylon suit of pantyhose, then you can opt for a full wetsuit. Keep in mind that any part of your body that is exposed can still be sting by jellyfish. They can vary in price depending on size, style and brand that you purchase. If you spend a lot of time in the ocean, you may want to go ahead and opt for the investment of a good, quality wetsuit.
UV Protecting Shirts and Coverings
Another option you have is to wear UV protecting “swim shirts” and pants. Even just the shirt will help protect your torso and also protects you from the sun when out of the water. There will still be exposed areas of skin when using this option but it does minimize the area of potential risk.
