Greetings to all who can assist me! I am what my diving buddies call a jelly fish magnet. If there is a jelly fish within 100 yards, it finds me. To make matters worse, I develop bruises and some pretty serious swelling from the stings as well. I am looking for all known cures for jelly fish stings. I have tried antihistamines, but they knock me out. I tried meat tenderizer on a man-o-war sting in the Florida Keys and well...I smelled delicious after that, but no effect. Last time I was in Bonaire I dove through a school of tiny jellies (which I did not see) and ended up with bruises on my chin and neck. People thought my dive buddy hit me!

This stinger magnetism started after I was bitten by a zompapa in Costa Rica (I believe the translation is Bullet Ant). Ever since then, anything that stings seeks me out and causes horrendous bruising and swelling. I'm looking for all known folk-cures and real ones because I usually end up with one or two stings becoming so bad I have to see my doctor.

So why keep diving...because I love it and will not give it up. Any help for a serious scuba addict?

Jeanine, I doubt that you are stung more than your fellow divers but it sure seems you are more allergic to the stings. With any allergy it usually takes one or more exposures before the full allergy is activated. Often the reaction gets increasingly serious with each exposure. You should consult an allergy MD specialist to find out what you should carry with you to treat stings. I would guess Benedryl (yes it will knock you out), an Epi Pen, and something that can be applied topically. But I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV :-) Seriously, I encourage you to talk with an expert.

Nathalie...you are a wise person. I am a little restricted regarding access to medical personnel for two reasons. Not too many doctors around here (Chicago suburbs) that specialize in tropical dive medicine. And the more pressing issue, I'm still a grad student. I scrimp and save to support my diving habit so do not have a lot of cash for specialists, such as an allergist (wow are they expensive by the way!).

My regular MD said pretty much what you said, but told me to take the Benedryl only at night and use the cream during the day. To be honest, this doesn't do much anymore and means I do need to see the specialist. I was just hoping that with the combined wisdom of the Bonaire divers, someone might have come across something that works which won't require a doctor's prescription.

Is Bonaire's pharmacy system like that of some European and Latin American nations, or does it resemble the US system? Meaning, can you walk into the pharmacy and talk with the pharmacist and obtain what you need, or do you need a doctor's prescription?

You can certainly talk to the pharmacist, who might have some over-the-counter product for you or might say you need a prescription.
Since Bonaire is European, drug prices are much lower here than in the US.
I hope Bonaire Talker Bud Gillan will spot this thread and suggest something for you. He knows more about jelly fish and their stings than anybody else does.
Bud, please help Jeanine!!
Tish

In Bonaire I had to go to the walk in clinic and they wrote a script for what I needed and then I got it at the pharmacy.
If you are that sensitive to jelly stings, I would be concerned about being stung by a sea wasp. Non-alergic people have to be taken to the hospital so I suspect it would be more serious with someone so sensitive. I think I might want to have me one of those epi-pens on hand.

Dare I ask...what is a sea wasp?

That's a good idea, Darlene.
Jeanine, could your regular doctor call your pharmacy and give you a prescription for the epi-pen?
Oh, dear. Here I go practicing medicine without a license. But having something on hand in case you have a serious reaction could save your life, right?
I have written Bud and asked him to log on and advise you about preventive measures, something to repel the critters.
Good luck!
Tish

I am not an expert on jellies what so ever so I hope someone can explain better than I. I THINK that I remember that the time they come out has something to do with the full moon. I know that it is usually early morning and evenings and that their sting can be very dangerous for some folks. They are not usually around but it is something to be aware of at those times of day. I have been to Bonaire at different times on the year for 10 trips now and have heard of a couple incounters but have never seen one and jellies have never been a problem for me at all during my trips. I certainly would never worry about the jellies there but with your sensitivity, I would rather be prepared if I did encounter one. If you do a search on this board you may find some more info

Jeanine, I would suggest contacting DAN and see what they recommend.

We always carry Jellyfish Sting Relief, however, we've haven't needed to use it yet. I found some on LeisurePro.com, but it doesn't say what the active ingredient is. It may contain the same ingredients as the Epi Pen.

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AQUAFS.html

It might help for you to wear a lycra hood, one that has a skirt on it, to protect your ears and neck area. It should also protect parts of your face and chin. This would decrease the areas exposed.
Andy

Ok, I did a bit more searching and it contains baking soda, ammonia and tea tree oil.

Here's one thing that you could try for prevention. Safe Sea. I have no idea if it works, but this would be the perfect solution if it works.

Alas, Cecil, I just heard from Bud Gillan, who says that the product you mention does not seem to work.
Bud has looked over this thread and has nothing to add. Sorry.
Andy and Dave's idea about wearing a hood sounds smart!
Tish

Oh, also, a sea wasp is toxic, but you will see it. Swerve to avoid contact!

Jeanine,

Indeed you should be careful but never stop diving. A lot has already been written about jelly stings, including the sea wasp, here on BT. Do a search on the key words "jellies jellyfish sea wasp" to read the dialogs. It is an interesting biohistory and provides a view of the jelly populations on Bonaire including sea wasps, Man-O-War, siphonophores, moon jellies, and sea lice.

I am a biologist and have studied jelly stings for some time. I am not a physician. Our studies have included several doctors, including our clinicals using Florida lifeguards as human subjects. It is interesting you mention bullet ants, which have similar neurotoxin venom to same jellies, which have a cocktail of venom types. Adding to your ongoing stings, you are sensitized (opposite of immune) to the antigen proteins.

While you are looking for a jelly repellent, I can't recommend one at this time. The earlier recommendations of wearing waterskins can be helpful, though some species nematocysts can penetrate them. The latest first aid products are reported in other BT strands. I use enzyme-based products like Marine Sting or Sting Thing for denaturing the venoms and then cactus or aloe extract for skin aftercare. In case of allergic reactions, which it sounds like you have a problem with, an epipen and Benadryl are a good idea if your doctor has given you a prescription and is aware of the mixtures you are putting in your body. Ice in a plastic bag can also be helpful (never fresh water) for pain. Magnesium sulfate (Epson's salt) or a saline solution, not vinegar, can be used to wash the wound if needed because of sand or dirt.

If you are interested in more information contact me via email.

Hope this helps.

Bud Gillan

Jeanine,

I'm an EMT, so here are a few thoughts...

An epi-pen is really to be used as a last resort when you are having a life-threatening allergic reaction. (some symptoms are tingling tongue and difficulty breathing, as your throat is swelling). They are filled with adrenaline and HURT to take. (they have a trigger sensitive 2" needle that you push against your upper thigh to "detonate"). You should need to go right to the emergency room after administering it, as it can make your heart race.

White vinegar is a home remedy to use to neutralize the sting. (this does contradict what Bud has said above). I am going to start taking a spray bottle with a diluted solution to the beach with me this summer, as I am somewhat sensitive.

Have you tried any non-sedating antihistamines, such as Zrytec or Singulair? I take these for my allergies and a dive doctor in Bonaire told me Zrytec is fine to dive with.

I would agree with the poster that mentioned DAN. Contact them, they probably have a good answer.

Sue

I'll put in a word with the others Jeanine. It sounds like you already have a strong reaction to jellyfish. You might have a stronger and more serious one next. It may not be that you are a magnet but that you are reacting when others don't and thus barely notice.

There are some that are rare but exceptionally more toxic, producing reactions in all people worse than what you describe and so in you, probably pretty serious.

I'd discuss this with physicians and explore the epi-pen option. I would also wear a dive skin or wet suit so as little of your skin is exposed as possible.

You should not be afraid of diving but I think you should take the best precautions available.

Jeanine, call DAN, they will not charge you and you need not be a member. They even have an 800 #
Kelly would never steer you wrong. Seriously consider getting their insurance if you are not already covered. You can always join by phone just before a trip.

Academy of Family Practice had an article recently (Feb 2004) on Hazards from "Marine Creatures". For jellyfish, the author recommends, 1) removal of remaining visible stingers (using gloves), 2) flushing skin with vinegar or salt water (important - not fresh water - it can trigger release from remaining nematocysts), 3) hot-water immersion - toxin is heat-labile (degrades with application of heat), (but be careful not to overdo it with the heat) 4)analgesics (e.g. ibuprofen, Tylenol) for pain, 5) antihistamines (e.g. Benadryl) for itching.
Meat tenderizer "found to be ineffective".

An EpiPen is for serious, life-threatening allergic reactions. It is used to bide time pending definitive medical treatment (e.g. the 15 minutes or so while you're en-route to the hospital).

Best advice, wear, at a minimum, a dive skin to avoid contact.

Greetings All and thanks for the many replies on and off the board! As recommended by many of you, I will be contacting DAN and there is no worries about me giving up diving, I love it way too much. I always dive with a 3mm (thank you oh Henderson Hyperstretch), but will be adding a hood now as well as a few more medical items to my dive bag.

Thanks again everyone and happy and safe diving to all of you!

You can reach Dan online at www.DiversAlertNetwork.org
If you sign up and pay online with a credit card, your membership begins immediately and you can print out proof of membership.
Tish

Sue, et al.
There is some good info described in this thread. I also recommend contacting DAN for allergies and extreme cases. Your epipen description is also quite useful.

Vinegar Use.
The use of vinegar in jelly stings is used only to "fix" unfired nematocysts from firing, not for neutralizing protein venom, which it does not do.

Vinegar (acetic acid) is still recommended in the case of box jelly and Cubozoan stings. More recent studies show that vinegar actually accelerates stings and nematocysts firing in siphonophores including Man-O-War. This species-specific effect of nematocyst fixing is not really understood. Different species have different types of nematocysts. Jelly weaponry is an area in need of more research, including a wide variety of physical (harpoon) mechanisms, cnidocil triggers, and a collection of toxins from mild to potentially lethal.

I certainly realize vinegar use is throughout a wide variety of literature and has been for a long time. One can find compression bandages recommended too, but that has been completely abandoned. Rubbing a sting with sand is also found, but a terrible recommendation.

At best vinegar is an incomplete, and potentially compromising, recommendation, except for box jellies. It is important to remember that many jelly stings will only sting for a short amount of time, and even ice (in packs) can be used to alleviate pain. Many such stings treated with any variety of remedies would appear to be a real solution, but had little to do with resolution.

Added to this discussion is the interesting work of Jamie Seymour, who is studying Chironex and Irukandji box jellies in Queensland and East Timor. He has shown that the box jellies at one end of his pool (in his backyard...I am not there yet), when he puts meat/fish flesh at the other end of the pool, will quickly migrate to the potential food source at the other end.

I am glad we have BT to discuss such matters. It is a fun space but also quite useful.

Bud

Bud,
Thanks so much for your contributions to this thread and others. Your knowledge is always invaluable to the rest of us!
Tish

Hi Jeanine,

use plain vaseline on the parts of your body that are not covered before you enter the water.
I've heard that a person with similar reactions used it and it worked. It's harmless to use and maybe it works for you too.

Good luck!
Dénise

Just don't get any on your mask if you try vaseline. It rots neoprene.

Just back from Bonaire July 24-31, 2005, and got stung by a sea wasp. I am a nurse practitioner in the States, unfamilar of course with Caribean jellyfish, but familar with medical treatment. I developed a severe reaction, but not an allergic reaction (rash, but no throat tightness, etc), requiring an ER visit. We were not night diving, but just jumped in after dinner in the seemingly beautiful ocean. We were shocked after all was done that no warning was placed! Apparently, these Bonaire sea wasps only come out the 10th day after the full moon. It would have been easy for the resort to post a reminder warning.
Anyways, I ended up at the Bonaire ER for a shot of IM Benadryl, and felt immediately better. Initially I thought it was a harmless sting, until I started shaking all over, chattering teeth and incredible pain, the worst pain I have ever felt other than having my kids. I developed a severe rash at the site I was bit, but gratefully, these have not bothered me. As soon as I got the shot of Benadryl, the pain was relieved, and I stayed on oral benadryl for 48 hours and was fine. The ER visit was great in Bonaire, they were prompt and very inexpensive $30 USD. They were waiting for sea wasp victims that night, always the 10th night after the full moon. Apparently, they hatch on the full moon and are fully mature by the 10th night. I still can't believe our resort didn't give us the heads up!!
Two weeks later, It still looks as though I've been in a cat fight on my arms and legs, but I feel fine.
So, this is what I 've learned about avoiding these sea wasp bites:
1. Do not night dive on the 10th night after the full moon!!!!! Seriously, people in the states won't believe me, just ask a Bonaire ER nurse
2. If you must dive then, don't put on your dive light until your well past the surface (10 ft or so)
3. you can also purge your regulator on your descent, they will avoid you
4. now we understand why divers in Bonaire wear full wet suits all the time, even in 90 degrees in July!
Good luck!

Hi Lisa,
Glad you enjoyed your Bonaire trip and were successfully treated for your sea wasp sting.
There has been a lot written on BT about the sea wasp situation which is a worldwide phenomenon with the adults swarming 8 to 10 days after a full moon. Many beaches in Hawaii automatically close their beaches in that timeslot.

As a biologist I am reseaching jellies, and as you may read here on BT, we are hunting for a special species of sea wasp or box jelly that we affectionately named the Bonaire Banded Box Jelly.
It has a clearish bell/velum and 4 tentacles that are ribbon-shaped and banded in light and dark patterns. Did you happened to see the jelly that stung you? Does this describe it? Where were stung on Bonaire? Depth? Time of day/date?

You may want to consult with your doctor about the antigenic proteins you are carrying now. Becoming sensitized can make subsequent stings worse. I agree the Kralendijk hospital is well-prepared for jelly stings.

What do other folks think about the suggestion to post the sea wasp swarming notice?

T minus 16 days,

Bud

Hi Bud,
Thank you for filling me in on this sea wasp situation, it was very traumatic for my family, and could have been easily avoided. I would highly recommend that Bonaire post a monthly warning for the one-two nights per month. There are so many options for avoiding them, and I truly don't think it would affect business. My family and I plan to return to Bonaire, and will plan our trip based on the full moon sea wasp theory, believe me!! I don't think it will stop people from going to Bonaire, visitors like me would greatly appreciate the info. It was strange to me that they go out of their way to orient people to the dive and reef system upon arrival, and didn't mention the sea wasps. (We stayed at Buddy's, very thorough on all other info).

Would my routine health care provider here in Boston be aware of this phenomena or should I seek a specialist for follow up care??
Are these jellyfish located elsewhere in the Caribbean??? We travel there every December and every July for diving.

I will ask the people we dive with about the sea wasps that were around then, they actually went on a night dive then, which I think between wet suits, purging regulators, and no dive lights helped them avoid the sea wasps. My husband and I simply jumped into the dock off Buddy's one hot summer night for a quick dip, a spontaneous and fun vacation only idea, and then we got bit. Interestingly, he was also bit, but received not advanced reaction. He has arthritis and thinks he didn't react as strongly as me because he recently completed two years of bee sting therapy, stinging himself up to 20 times 3 times per week, and thinks he developed a possible immunity to the sting sensation and reaction.

Will get back to you on the description of the wasp. Please respond to my question of the type of health care I need to look for post my sting. Yes it was very severe, I would compare the pain to hard core labor pain.

Thanks Bud,
Lisa Burke

Lisa, we were at Buddy Dive at the same time you were. What day were you stung?

Ed,
Were you with the Bonaire wedding group??
We were there July 25-July 30.

Anyone in your group stung??

Lisa

Bud,
My dive buddies gave me the following description of the "sea wasps" that probably bit me:
Take a blown up condom and cut it in half
Take the front part and add several tentacles about a foot long each
Clear and hard to see

Lisa

Lisa, Bud...maybe the dive shops need to add the warning during orientation. When I'm down there in October I'll mention it to Bart at Wannadive and see what he thinks.

Lisa, Bud is a great resource on jelly stings! (and other creature stings as well!)

When we were there in March, my stepson and I decided to go for a night snorkel. I normally wear at minimum a full skin, but just decided to go with the bathing suit. We ran into a bunch of box jellies on the surface, and headed back in, where a moon jelly (I think) had the 4 circles in the center, and purple tentacles hanging down (4). After that, we high tailed it in and out of the water. I doubt I'll go without complete coverage again.

Oddly, when we were in the BVI's in June, there were the box jellies (no tentacles) EVERYWHERE we went, diving, snorkeling, everywhere. But they didn't sting. No one in our group got stung at all. Except one, who decided to go "bare" and jump in and swim around the yacht. He said "something" bit him...he didn't go in "bare" for the rest of the trip at night! LOL!

Lisa, we were not with the wedding group, just my wife, my 15 year old daughter, and me. My wife was stung on her lip by something, enough to make it swell and little and turn red, but it quit hurting after a few hours. Which day were you stung?

Hi Ed,
I think we dove with you, your wife Martha, and daughter Laura a couple of times! Hello! Sorry to hear your wife got stung. Glad she didn't require an ER visit.
Apparently the 8-10 days after the full moon were right in the window of our visit. I was stung Fri night July 29 around 12 MN. From the line at the ER, I think this was actually the 10th day after the full moon. The medical staff was well prepared for a busy night because of these jellyfish. Bud the Biologist just sent pictures of the Bonaire Banded Box Jelly fish and that's definetly what I got stung with.
Did she get stung at night?

Good Morning to all, I thought I would post this Calender... Ron

Full Moon dates 2005

Year Month Day Time Day of week "sea wasps" Warning
2005 Jan 25 10:32 Tue
2005 Feb 24 04:54 Thu 8 to 10 days after the full moon.
2005 Mar 25 21:00 Fri Heed this warning.
2005 Apr 24 10:08 Sun
2005 May 23 20:20 Mon
2005 Jun 22 04:15 Wed
2005 Jul 21 11:01 Thu
2005 Aug 19 17:54 Fri
2005 Sep 18 02:01 Sun
2005 Oct 17 12:13 Mon
2005 Nov 16 00:56 Wed
2005 Dec 15 16:15 Thu

I think Martha was stung on either Sunday or Monday. She did not see what stung her, but I don't think it was a sea wasp. We asked Murph, and he said "we call them noseeums".

Earlier email to Lisa, BT fyi....
Sea wasps or box jellies are generic names for Cubozoans, a Class of Cnidarians. One Genus has four tentacles (Carybdea), the other Genus has four corner with multiple branches of tentacles from the corners (Chiropsalmus). The Genus species that swarms on Bonaire like in the pic below (can you see it?), is Carbdea alata. These are common on Bonaire and in the Caribbean and worldwide in the topics/subtopics. What is quite different about the new one we are hunting is the specific banding on the tentacles like in the pic I attached earlier. The bands range from brown to black, but are clearly visible. If you dive buddies didn't specifically see these bands, then we can not confirm this is what stung (not bite) you.

You can Google more on the Carybdea alata. Paul Humann and Ned D. have a great pic of C.a. in their Reef Creatures book.

Yes you should go to an allergist who is knowledgeable about animal stings. Bees, ants, jellies, etc. are all part of formula and personal mystery of what you should prepare for. They may prescribe a epipen or oral meds to carry with you. Better safe than sorry. Of course there is not reason not to continue diving and outdoors activities.



Hope this helps.

Bud Gillan
Biologist and Consultant
Boca Raton, FL

Ron,
Thanks for printing the full moon dates for 2005. My caribbean vacations will always be planned now with those dates in mind!
Ed,
I remember seeing you guys before we left, with a swollen face and two black eyes(post sting toxin reactions) and 2 extremities that looked as though a cat attacked me, I must have been a pretty site leaving Bonaire. I'm so glad Martha's OK. It won't stop me from going to Bonaire, will probably just be mindful of the lunar calendar.
Bud,
Thanks again for all of your info. Am checking with my friends to see what they saw that night diving, if they noticed the banding on the tentacles. Something tells me they just got away quickly, but will let you know.
Thanks to all of you who have offered info on this site, it has been very difficult finding out info otherwise.
Happy Diving!