Jellyfish

[surfgirl67]

I will be cruising to the Eastern Caribbean on May 23rd.......can anyone tell me how bad the jellyfish are around these areas? I was stung so bad last summer in Destin, Fl - the jellyfish wrapped its tenticles around my leg and just kept stinging me.

[The Islander]

Around St. Thomas/St. John the jellyfish make their appearance in late summer, around July-August. They come in each year around the same time, for reproduction. They seem to prefer some bays/beaches more than others. One such beach is Magens Bay. When they are in the bay the beach management puts a big sign by the entrance saying look out for jellyfish. They are also present at other beaches when they are in the area. For the most part its Moon Jellyfish, they don't have long tentacles and are pretty easy to spot. They look like pinkish/white round shaped plastic bags floating along. They move slowly so if you were swimming at a beach that you knew had jellyfish you could look out for them and could get out of their way. They drift more than swim, so backing up and pushing water in their direction usually works for creating distance between you and them. If there are a whole lot of them then it becomes more difficult.

 

--Islander

[surfgirl67]

Thank you so much...good information.