Hi:
I haven't read much about this, but a few posts on other boards.

We are going to Bonaire in March (our first time!) and are looking forward to doing lots of snorkeling.

Do we need to worry about stings from jellyfish? If so, what she we use for protection?

We were in Antigua a couple of years ago and a few of us got stung and it hurt enough that we didn't go into the water (except for sailing on the hobiecat!).
Thanks!

Welcome Anne to BT, we spent ten days in the water last month, no problem.

You can rent a skin for protection if needed.

Welcome to BT Anne. Along with protection, avoidance is also good. Sea Wasps typically come out around the 9th day after a full moon and at night. If you are stung, rinse the area with vinegar or another weak acid. This will stop the little needles from firing. Very painful but unless you are allergic not deadly.

Bring your own vinegar as the vinegar on Island is way to strong! It will burn your skin!

we found Windex works great to slow the sting....then use Pepto Bismal on the sting...evidently there is aspirin or something in the pepto that reduces the swelling and takes away the pain..all the diving I do, I had a snorkeling friend get stung in August from a floating tentacle....--it happens

Hi Everyone:
Thanks a lot for your advice and suggestions.
We are very much looking forward to our trip.

We're going with two very experienced divers who have been to Bonaire several times and know they will also have some tips.

I will try to post a trip report when we get back.

Anne, we were on Island last month and had no incidents. However, I was stung be a sea wasp 2 years ago and it is very painful. Dee, of the Woodwind, treated me but I do not recall what she used. It did help.

Many years ago I was stung by jelly fish and a life guard used Adolph's Meat Tenderizer as a treatment. It also seemed to work. Of course, avoidance is the very best remedy.

Diving or snokeling I always wear a dive skin for protection. Not just from jelly fish but from fire coral and the coral rubble at a lot of the dive/snorkel site entrance/exits. also will help with protection from the sun. If you don't have a dive skin a long sleeve/long leg aerobic outfit will work too. Hope this helps some.

most dive shops sell something called jelly fish neutralizer. It is in a handy bottle (not as cheap as vinegar, but handy and only about $3)

Hi again:
Thanks for your responses. They are helpful and we'll keep your recommendations in mind when we're in Bonaire.

It doesn't sound like jellyfish stings are frequent, but that they do happen.

Unlike when we were in Antigua and they were a frequently occurence (plus, you coldn't see them, given the churned up bottom).

Do most people where skins for snorkeling....i.e. do you think we should purchase skins specifically for this purpose? We're inclined not to, based on the your responses so far regarding the frequency of stings.

Thanks.

Anne:
We bought skins to wear when we do a night snorkel just as a pre-caution against getting stung. We'd rather be safe than sorry...
Chris

Hi Anne,
We've snorkeled for about 5 years, Bonaire twice for a week each time and in the water alot, but I don't recall being stung anywhere we've been (lucky). I do think about it though and try to avoid taking vacations one to two weeks after full moons. However, about our last 2 trips I noticed I would begin getting chilled after about 3 to 4 days snorkeling and looked at getting a skin. I ended up getting a 1mm wetsuit for like $30 brand new but I never got to use it snorkeling because we started diving. Now I need to go to probably a 3mm because now I get chilled after diving 3 or 4 days diving.
Anyway, snorkeling isn't very relaxing or fun if you're noticing that you're cold. Even if you're one of those people who don't get cold, some sort of protection will help prevent sunburn(been there done that in Bonaire) and give you some protection from minor scrapes getting in and out and from the little stingy things in the water. If you're going to spend much time in the water I would invest in a little protection. Pam got on something last Oct. on her lower thigh, probably fire coral, on a ladder while wearing a shorty and it still flares up every now and then.

Anne,

My wife and I used to snorkel in swim suits and t shirts. But she had an encounter with something (fire coral?) coming up the ladder at Sand Dollar four years ago. Her skin burned like crazy for hours. She had small blisters on her lower leg for the next six months and a reddish-colored stain still remains in that location to this day (although it is faint now). The following year she was badly stung on her arms by jellyfish while we were snorkeling in the Atlantic off Key West. At that point we bought dive skins.

We've snorkeled many times and in many different locations since purchasing the skins, and there has never been another problem. I think the skins cost us about $40 each at a dive shop. They also keep us warm in cool water and protect us from sunburn. A mighty good $80 investment in our opinion...

I was badly stung by a sea wasp on a night dive off Roatan last year. It blistered like a 2nd degree burn and took nearly a month to heal (in the middle of the local diving season!). I have since invested in a .5 mil wetsuit, so when I return to Bonaire this June, I will be wearing it on all night dives, at least.

Spam Removed by moderator.

(Message edited by modseb on March 7, 2008)

i smell snake oil

Randall..Any INDEPENDENT scientific studies completed to verify the efficacy of this product?

Randall is gone.

RIP

In Feb 07, my husband was stung on the arm by a jellyfish at LaDania's Leap - he was wearing a T shirt and swim trunks only. Our guide said that in many years of almost daily diving and snorkeling, this was a VERY unusual occurrence. The stinging went away after a few days although to this day, he has a bump on his arm.

Thanks for all of your responses!
We have gone to Bonaire and are now home .
We had a great time and no problems with jellyfish stings.

We did, however, see some at the beach at Slaagbai. They were relatively small with, what looked to be 4 dark/black dots. We saw several of these and just avoided them.

Doesn't anyone know what kind these are?
And, do ALL jellyfish sting, or only some? If I see jellyfish in the future, it's just nice to know how much effort to make to avoid them!

Thanks again and we look forward to going back to Bonaire.....although it won't be soon enough!

Anne, I believe the jellyfish you saw were perhaps spot winged comb jellies, harmless. Glad you enjoyed Bonaire.

Anne,
Can you describe more details about the jellies you saw at Slagbaai? Size, tentacles, coloration, etc. There is a ctenophore, spot-winged comb jelly, with 4 black spots. Google that.
Not all jellies sting.

Patricia,
Jelly stings on Bonaire are rare, but increasing in number as they are worldwide. It would be helpuful if you could provide some of the details about the stinging jelly and stings themselves. If you husband's sting "bumps" are red and reactive, he may have had a mild reaction to the venom. Sensitivity to jelly stings is like sensitivity to any other venomous animal (fire ants, bees, etc.). There are many BT threads dealing with jelly stings. A couple of products that help with welting, swelling, post-sting care, pre-scarring, are:
Marine Sting (enzyme and aloe-based) www.solrx.com
Burn-B-Gone (glycerin, astragalus-based) www.burn-b-gone.com
Cactus Juice (prickly pear cactus-based) www.cactusjuicetm.com

It would be helpful for anyone reporting jelly stings to include as complete a description as possible of the animal and information about the severity of the sting. BT has been really helpful in these regards. The moderate to severe stings and any reactive stings should be reported to the hospital in Kralendijk. They are keeping records and a database of jelly stings on Bonaire. Thanks.

To be clear, Bonaire has some of the safest water in the Caribbean. Jellies are miminal, except 8-10 days after a full moon when box jellies complete a reproductive party.

Bud Gillan

Hi:
Thank you.

The spot winged comb jelly looks just like what we saw. Glad to hear they're harmless.

Otherwise, we didn't see any jellies or have any problems.

We went snorkeling to Ol' Blue, Karpata, the end beach at Slaagbai, and right outside the Divi, where we saw an octopus.

Thanks for your help and we're really glad there aren't many jellies in the waters around Bonaire.

We'll be heading back, for sure.