Stinging Plankton???

MN_Bhoy · Post by **MN_Bhoy** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 9:25 am

I wasn't too thrilled to see this article in News of St John

http://newsofstjohn.com/2015/04/27/what ... the-water/

OK, who is going to step forward and tell me:

A) Go in the water - they are really no big deal

B) If you do get stung you will only itch for a little while

C) They SHOULD be gone in a few days

D) They WILL be gone by say....the first week of August!!

david@va.beach · Post by **david@va.beach** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:05 am

My advise is to go to the south shore beaches..

JJShaw · Post by **JJShaw** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:32 am

I hope they're gone by the end of June...

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 11:08 am

You and me too, JJ. We overlap with your trip.

JIM

mconnors1 · Post by **mconnors1** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 12:19 pm

We were there 4/7-4/16 and couldn't figure out what was stinging us. For me it was a stinging sensation that went away quickly and I was never itchy. My friend actually had welts that turned into open sores after scratching because they were so itchy. We encountered them at every beach we went to including Salt Pond Bay

JJShaw · Post by **JJShaw** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 1:47 pm

jimg20 wrote:You and me too, JJ. We overlap with your trip.

JIM

Crossing fingers..and toes...and eyes..

Randy in MD · Post by **Randy in MD** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:14 pm

I was there a couple of weeks ago and felt them while snorkeling at Maho, but not in Hansen Bay…

I suspect everyone's reaction to them depends on your own personal chemistry, but for me it was no big deal…

The stings were minor and were gone by the time I got out of the water...

msfcambridge · Post by **msfcambridge** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:37 pm

We were in St John last week of March/first week of April and had some experience with the 'stings'. It was mostly in the open water near Henley Cay/Scott Beach where we did a kayak/snorkel trip. The group consisted of two couples and a guide. The guide didn't experience anything and neither did my fiance. (I think the guide thought we were nuts for mentioning it so I'm glad to hear confirmation). It felt like like a quick prick or someone holding a match for a second to my skin. It happened three or four times on that excursion. Luckily I didn't have any noticable reaction to them when I got out of the water and I'm the type that tends to react to mosquito and no-see-um bites. The other folks had a couple of little welts on their legs similar to mosquito bites in size. At Maho I felt the same type of sting later in the week while snorkeling but again no visible reaction or itching. I wouldn't let this stop anyone from going into the water or avoiding certain beaches. If you do get stung and have a reaction, meat tenderizer is an amazing remedy. It breaks down the protein. Pack it! Add a little water to the tenderizer to form a white paste and let it dry on the bite (including mosquito bites). It's natural and works like a charm.

cocosmom · Post by **cocosmom** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:24 pm

The stinging seems to on most Nortn Shore beaches. We both got 1 sting with no reaction. Others itchy welts. Not sure the meat tenderizer will work since there is no visible mark when stung, unless you do a whole body part.

GratefulDad · Post by **GratefulDad** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:22 pm

I just returned from am 8 day trip to St John. My son and I were never stung. We were in the water every day, mostly on the North Shore beaches. I never heard anyone say they were stung while I was there. Seems like it's hit or miss.

MN_Bhoy · Post by **MN_Bhoy** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:32 pm

GratefulDad wrote:I just returned from am 8 day trip to St John. My son and I were never stung. We were in the water every day, mostly on the North Shore beaches. I never heard anyone say they were stung while I was there. Seems like it's hit or miss.

Aside from the last sentence, this is the response I was looking for!! Others with similar experiences can keep the comments coming! Those who have been stung and needed meat tenderizer/vinegar/hot showers as treatment can provide estimated dates - no later than July 31st - as to when these things will be gone from STJ waters!

snorkeler525 · Post by **snorkeler525** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:37 pm

If you are concerned about getting stung, try Sea Safe:

http://www.buysafesea.com

It does work as long as you follow the directions. Also, if you do get stung, don't use meat tenderizer - it just spreads the stinging cells and makes it worse. Try using vinegar, preferably sprayed on, or if you don't mind, urine works too - the acid is what helps make the stinging stop. The worst thing you can do is itch or rub it - you just spread those stinging cells - nematocysts - and make it worse.

With warming ocean temperatures, we will see and experience more jellies, including their larva (sea lice), so using products to help prevent the sting is your best option. The warmer the water, the more likely you are to encounter them.

Use Sea Safe and take a small spray bottle with vinegar with you to the beach. Also, don't take a shower or rinse off with your bathing suit on - remove it, rinse yourself off, and wash the swim suit separately. Cortisone creams and benadryl help too.

And, do what you can to help minimize climate change - reduce your use of fossil fuels; reduce, reuse, and recycle; and work with your local communities to foster goals of reducing our carbon footprint. Jellies (and their offspring) thrive in adverse conditions; the more we do to prevent those issues the better it is for all of us.

GratefulDad · Post by **GratefulDad** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 9:27 am

Snorkeler525 - Do you have a scientific source for your statement about warmer ocean temperatures in regard to sea lice?

ColoradoMom · Post by **ColoradoMom** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 10:53 am

Just back. Got stung maybe 20 times altogether over the whole trip. Zero redness swelling or mark of any kind. Pain lasted a minute, maybe less. Worst was Francis. To tell you how bad it was (wasn't!) we chose to go back to Francis a couple of times during our stay. I'd go back today!!

snorkeler525 · Post by **snorkeler525** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 11:46 am

GratefulDad wrote:Snorkeler525 - Do you have a scientific source for your statement about warmer ocean temperatures in regard to sea lice?

Many sources. Feel free to google as I am not posting all of them nor am I getting into an argument about climate change, warmer ocean temperatures, or any other scientifically based discussion of what is happening to our oceans. BTW, I work at a major aquarium so I know a little bit about what goes on in our seas and about jellies and the larva (sea lice).

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