Nerf basketball hoop + kids + boat = great fun! I bought this with the image of my boys playing with it in the water. I didn’t imagine jelly fish joining in on the fun. Swarms of them. Huge ones.
After dropping anchor, Cory let out a loud “whoop” and launched himself into the water with a front flip. The other boys followed, and after several front flips, cannon balls and back flips Cory came out of the water doing the “ohmygodithurtssobad” dance as he rubbed his legs, chest and arms. A huge jelly got him from toe to shoulder. Quinn quickly followed. Alcohol was brought out to douse the stings, and for the parents to drink, and the water was deemed to be jelly territory for the night.
Jelly fish facts:
Jellyfish are prevalent in our local waters. Some types can produce a painful reaction that is caused when the tentacle touches the skin and releases poison from the nematocysts located along each tentacle.
Symptoms include intense pain, itching, rash and swelling. Some people have nausea and vomiting. It is possible to have a fatal reaction if you are allergic.
Initial treatment involves removing the tentacle. Rinse with vinegar for 15-30 minutes. You may use sea water or rubbing alcohol.
DO NOT USE FRESH WATER AS THIS WILL CAUSE MORE POISON TO BE RELEASED. Did you know this? It is true. So don’t grab that icy cold water that will feel soooo good on the burn. Um, no, it will make it worse.
Alcohol is always on a boat. Sun-downers are a requirement and a welcome refreshment after a cluster-you-know-what sail to your anchorage. We always have an assortment of rum… Captain Morgans, Bacardi white, coconut, mango, banana….mmmmmm. Hopefully your first aid kit contains rubbing alcohol, but if it does not, you can grab that bottle of Captain Morgans and douse some on the sting, then take a slug.
So, what should your first aid it contain?
-sunscreen (don’t get me started…..then again, I will do a post devoted to this tomorrow)
-vinegar (for jellyfish stings)
-rubbing alcohol (for cuts and jelly stings)
-antibiotic ointment
-benadryl (allergic reaction)
-Tylenol (kid and adult for fever or pain)
-Motrin 9because sometimes a kid fever is not doused with Tylenol)
-tweezers
-scissors
-bandaids
-gauze
-tape
-saline solution or eye wash
I have some live aboards who read this blog, so I would love for you guys to add to this list and give your seasoned advice as well.
One final word…….some Jelly fish stings can be quite bad. If someone gets stung and you know this person has severe allergies, do not waste time getting them to a doc. However, most people just experience intense pain for a short period, followed by some welts or redness. For Cory, he was better within 15 minutes, but was done with the water.
It’s just a small part of living in paradise.
Hey Jody,
Ahhh yes the ole jellyfish sting oucho! I am from Florida and remember them all to well. The pee does in fact work almost imediately.
I couldn’t find you for a while I had computer problems and was so glad to come see you!
I have started the process for my surgery Bariatric bypass) and hopefully will have it in September towards the end. I have my first procedure July 27th, the vena cava filter.
My daughter surprised me with a trip to California at Redondo beach we will be there from the 11th – 22nd. I am so excited. We are staying on the ocean. We have a ouple sail boat tours planned and I am excited.
It was so good to catch up!
Hi Jodi, I was there this week-end and saw lots of the little suckers! My youngest got stung as well while we where wade fishing. The joke was to let someone pee on his leg. Something in urine is supposed to take the sting out. He wouldn’t let anyone do it so I can’t say first hand whether is works or not. Glad they recovered quickly.
I think I’m one of the liveaboard regulars here.
This looks an awful lot like our First Aid kit! We have a “going ashore” kit that’s an oversized fanny pack, since really, the suture kits, IV setups, and anti-nausea suppositories can stay on board, right? LOL
Thanks Behan. Yes, you are one of my liveaboard readers and I am so glad to have your input. Yeah, Bill brings home the ER kits as well, but no IV setups for our cruising. We do need a suture kit though. I have some here at home I can throw in a bag. Do you keep your suppositories in the refrigerator?
Seriously though, there’s very little we’d add here. We have asthma rescue meds and an inhaler tube for our son. We also have bug repellent, and a pocket-sized (but quite thorough) first aid manual (it’s geared towards boaters, and it figures that I can’t remember the name right now). There are antiseptic swabs that you can crack open and use to clean out barnacle scrapes and the like, to boost the chance of avoiding infection.
Those antiseptic swabs would come in handy here. We have loads of oysters, and Vibrio vulnificus is common here. I will look for some of those.
Sorry about your jellyfish incident. We’ve skated through the jellies, for the most part. We do wear rash guards or swim skins much of the time, and I think that helps avoid the random stings. For any newbie boaters reading, it’s probably a good idea to recognize Portuguese Man O Wars, if they are in your area, since the vinegar will actually make things worse with these critters (who aren’t even jellyfish but… well see this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonophore).
Unfortunately, at times we have an abundance of P. physalis around here. They come ashore like mad after a storm. It really puts a damper on surfing when you have them sliding across your board. You really have to watch where you walk when they wash up on the beach. Not much you can do for their stings save for suffer. Rubbing sand on the stings can remove any remnants of the tentacles.
Um, Jody, tell me how you manage to have white upholstery and keep it so GORGEOUSLY clean?! It’s looooovely!
It is really durable stuff. I just wipe it down at the end of the day and it stays white. When we first looked at the boat and saw a white interior I turned to Bill and said “White pleather, 4 kids and a dog is NOT a good mix” but I have been surprised at how clean it stays given how much we use the boat.
I’ve only been stung by a jellyfish once on the foot but boy wow did it hurt alot! Glad your guys are ok.
Wow! I’m glad he’s okay. And I’m glad you had the right stuff on board to treat him – and yourself.
We get a few jellies up here, but the water’s too cold to go in w/o a wetsuit, so not a lot of stings.