# Jellyfish alert



## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

A two weeks ago I read in a Belgian online paper (with a reputation similar to that of The Sun in the UK, I must add) that Spain would be terrorised by an unnormally big population of quite rare jellyfish. It would concern two types of jellyfish usually not found in big numbers in the Mediterranean Sea, one of them is quite poisonous and has caused deaths as it numbs you when it bites, and the other one has tentacles of a few meters long and you can get easily strangled. Both types of jellyfish are rare usually in this part of the world, a specialist of Valencia University apparently said it's a mystery to him how come they are suddenly showing up in large numbers. A few coastal towns near Valencia already had days where swimming was forbidden, and I heard the jellyfish head north to the Balears which means Catalunya is probably their next stop.

Now I live quite close to the beach and with this warm weither, especially during the afternoon when things get really too hot to be on the streets, I like to swim in sea for hours. The question is, is it safe? As much as I like to bathe in sea, I wouldn't like to be the first one in Catalunya being hospitalised because of a poisonous jellyfish bite. 

Did anyone else hear similar reports? Have these types of jellyfish meanwhile reached Catalan waters or should it still be safe to bathe now?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gerrit said:


> A two weeks ago I read in a Belgian online paper (with a reputation similar to that of The Sun in the UK, I must add) that Spain would be terrorised by an unnormally big population of quite rare jellyfish. It would concern two types of jellyfish usually not found in big numbers in the Mediterranean Sea, one of them is quite poisonous and has caused deaths as it numbs you when it bites, and the other one has tentacles of a few meters long and you can get easily strangled. Both types of jellyfish are rare usually in this part of the world, a specialist of Valencia University apparently said it's a mystery to him how come they are suddenly showing up in large numbers. A few coastal towns near Valencia already had days where swimming was forbidden, and I heard the jellyfish head north to the Balears which means Catalunya is probably their next stop.
> 
> Now I live quite close to the beach and with this warm weither, especially during the afternoon when things get really too hot to be on the streets, I like to swim in sea for hours. The question is, is it safe? As much as I like to bathe in sea, I wouldn't like to be the first one in Catalunya being hospitalised because of a poisonous jellyfish bite.
> 
> Did anyone else hear similar reports? Have these types of jellyfish meanwhile reached Catalan waters or should it still be safe to bathe now?


there are frequently lots of jellyfish in the med - even right up to the beach in some areas

our local beaches are often 'no go'

the cruz roja on the beaches usually fly a red 'medusa' flag when it's dangerous & I have been on the beach more than once when they put a call out over the loudspeakers for everyone to get out of the sea

Jellyfish sting hundreds on Costa Blanca beaches | Environment | The Guardian

my older dd was badly stung a couple of years ago


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

This just makes me even _more_ glad that I live by the Costa de la Luz (Atlantic) ...

Extract from Spanish Vida newspaper on 2 August:

"Several beaches on the Costa Blanca north of Alicante were closed to bathers after swarms of the Mauve Stinger jellyfish plagued the beaches of the Mediterranean. The tentacles of the bright purple creatures, which emit a yellow glow at night, deliver mild stings but can cause severe allergic reactions in some people even leading to heart failure. The Red Cross treated 50 people for stings in just half an hour last Thursday on a beach in Denia, a resort on Spain’s eastern Mediterranean coast. Spain’s Environment Ministry has sent boats out to patrol the coastline on the lookout for dangerous clusters of the invertebrates drifting to shore. Once spotted, red flags will be raised to warn swimmers to stay out of the water. 

Over the last several years there has been a huge rise in numbers due to the effects of global warming and overfishing of their natural predators and each summer tens of thousands of holidaymakers are forced to seek treatment for minor stings. Marine experts have this year also detected a rise in the number of the Carybdea marsupialis, known as box jellyfish, to the Costa Blanca. The cube shaped gelatinous creatures more commonly found in tropical waters of the Caribbean deliver a painful sting and can leave an itching burning welt that lasts up to three weeks.


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## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

Does anyone know if they reached Catalan waters yet and if it's still safe to swim in sea here? The last news I had they had almost reached the Balears but not sure if they were anywhere near the Catalan coast or not.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gerrit said:


> Does anyone know if they reached Catalan waters yet and if it's still safe to swim in sea here? The last news I had they had almost reached the Balears but not sure if they were anywhere near the Catalan coast or not.


if it's not safe to swim surely the cruz roja will put red flags up?


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## fourgotospain (May 4, 2009)

They were in Denia and then moved down to Javea, but only for about 2 days so we weren't exactly 'terrorised'! In fact the Costa Blanca News felt it was worth mentioning that when they got to Elche (south of us) they lingered there for 3-4 days!! I had read they were heading south rather than north, so maybe it's a different lot around the Balearics to the ones we had.


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## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> if it's not safe to swim surely the cruz roja will put red flags up?


One person has to be the first one spotting one or being bitten by one before the red flag will go up ... And I wouldn't like to be that first one 

Argh, jellyfish... How can an animal that looks so friendly and calm in the zoo's aquarium be so terrifying as soon as they're in the free nature?


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## Daveh (Sep 3, 2010)

I read about this too.

Knowing my luck, i'd be the first one to get strangled to death by a psycho jellyfish!

What's happening now? Have they moved on or still lurking around?

Davey xx


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## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

People are still bathing in sea in large numbers. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Do the beach guards actively look for the jellyfish while patrolling or will the red flag only go up once someone's been stinged?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gerrit said:


> People are still bathing in sea in large numbers. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Do the beach guards actively look for the jellyfish while patrolling or will the red flag only go up once someone's been stinged?


they'll be looking for them - but they're not always that easy to see

also, one sting doesn't make a swarm - so they'd probably wait until several people had been stung


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