Jellyfish concentration in Andaman Sea

[Bowmouth]

I think that thee are more people interested in this topic than you assume, Bowmouth.

Maybe you're right.

The majority of my dives have been done from Live-aboard dive boats far from shore and most dive pro's I have worked and regular contact with are working on similar boats.
The Thai box-jellies only seem to have been seen fairly close to shore in the Andaman Sea so that may have added to the fact that I (and with me many other dive pro's on other vessels) never have seen any box jellies in 20 years of diving.


It's not that I am not interested in this subject. I think commenting to this post shows I have at least some interest in the subject of box jellies. I just find it a subject that in my experience is quite irrelevant to get very excited about given the fact that it's a creature that is extremely rare to encounter during a dive in Thai waters.

 

[Bowmouth]

There are blue-ringed octopus, a variety of species of box jellyfish, dangerous corals and sea anemones, lionfish, scorpionfish, stonefish, sting rays, cone shells, crown-of-thorn sea stars, sea cucumbers, venomous sponges, and other venomous creatures.
Everyone (especially dive leaders, boat masters, and DMs) should be on the lookout for these creatures as they dive.

Trust me, I am on the look-out during my dive for most of the above mentioned creatures and do mention them in my dive briefings, but more as an "attraction" than something to stay far away from. When finding one of the venomous animals I gladly point them out to my divers because they often have great colors and/or design, make for beautiful pictures and mostly do not swim or walk away.

Unfortunately I haven't seen blue ring octopi in Thailand yet and don't think I know anyone who has. I have seen them in Indonesia of course and the Philippines where they are fairly common at some sites.
And no box jellies either....but I'm happy to say lots of other jellies with sometimes crabs and shrimps hitching a ride on them and others with a small school of juvenile jacks under their bell.

 

[funrecdiver]

Unfortunately I haven't seen blue ring octopi in Thailand yet and don't think I know anyone who has. I have seen them in Indonesia of course and the Philippines where they are fairly common at some sites.

FYI, when we do a Google search of the web we can find (a few) reports of blue-rings in Thailand. Dr. Roy Caldwell, chair of the Biology Department of U. C. Berkeley, posted the following story about his experience with blue-ringed octopuses in Thailand, where he wrote:

Many years ago in Thailand I saw a German tourist killed by apparently placing a blue-ring on his shoulder. The tetrodotoxin can stop an adult human's breathing in two to three minutes and unless ventilation can be established and maintained for up to several hours, the victim will die. - Dr. Roy Caldwell,

In addition, I have seen photos (in the past) from divers on the web where they posted their photos of this beautiful but deadly (and perhaps rare?) creature in Thailand. There are numerous stories of the web where Thais have found them and kept them as pets; including this one in Thai:

Nabhitabhata, Jaruwat . 2006. Death in Your Living Room: The Blue-Ringed Octopus. Update Magazine 21(221): 63-70. (In Thai).

There are numerous reports of sighting in Thailand, including this recent April 2010 post:

Scuba Diving at Racha Yai Island, Thailand: Racha Yai scuba diving offers some of the best scuba diving around Phuket


which claims......

Recently the extremely venomous and rare Blue Ringed Octopus has been spotted over the sand areas at around 20 meters depth

.

A few minutes of research on the net yield a number of stories about blue rings in Thailand, FYI, one more (perhaps some imported from Phil...):

Thais warned over deadly pet octopus

 

[Bowmouth]

Thanks for the links!

Next time I go diving at Racha Yai Island I'll look for the blue ring octopus and if I'm lucky enough to find one will take some pictures and put on Scubaboard!

 

[jamiemac]

Blimey! I'm thinking about staying in the Uk if the diving's got that nasty in Thailand.

At least we only have Orcas and seals trying to bite you here

J

PS marine life that worries me the most are snakes , we have 4 species in the Gulf, including the 'friendly' banded sea krait, which isn't, promise!

The buggers attack each other, the down-line, the deco bars, nasty things

 

[funrecdiver]

Blimey! I'm thinking about staying in the Uk if the diving's got that nasty in Thailand.

Not me (I'll bite, knowing you are joking Jamie!), I love diving in Thailand. The more I study hazardous marine animals, the safer I feel for a number of reasons:

(1) The risk of serious encounter with a very nasty species is quite low (historically and statistically), around 1 in a million tourists for box jellies (per one study);

(2) The risk is much lower when we wear full body suits, glove and boots (body less vulnerable);

(3) Knowing which creatures are potentially harmful reduces the likelihood a diver might accidentally handle one (if you are not a thrill seeker, of course);

(4) Knowing the basics of what to do in the unlikely event of a "close encounter of the nasty kind" provides extra comfort (vinegar for jellies, heat for spiny stingers, etc);

(5) Many of the hazardous creatures mentioned can be found worldwide; certainly not only in Thailand. In fact, some of the more deadly species are quite rare in Thailand (blue-ringed octopussy, box jellies)

On the other hand, there is repeated concern by marine researchers that a lot more fact finding needs to be done; and there is continued concern that the number of serious envenomation events in Thai waters are misreported as drownings, heart attacks, allergic reactions, etc. That is why it is important to have the facts, of course. Warmer climate patterns are also a concern to many researchers and observers.

Over and out (back to work on my research and new Google spreadsheet).

Thanks for a nice chat on this topic.

 

[limbo]

There's indeed a work group, see this post in my dive blog. They work for the Ministry of Public Health’s Bureau of Epidemiology and they have also been in Australia and spent good time in Melbourne with John Lippmann, the CEO of DAN Asia Pacific and Andrew Jones, a journalist who's working on establishing awareness for box jellyfish, after his 4 year old son got stung in Koh Mak during a holiday in Thailand a couple of years ago. During their recent stay the Thai work group did meet all of the Northern Queensland experts on box jelly fish.

Their work in Thailand involves travelling around the country and collecting stories and data. They conduct seminars with health officials and provide training in box jellyfish safety and prevention. This area is one they are wanting to develop much stronger over the next 12 months.

 

[Kelvinyu73]

Hi all,

i read everyone's posts with great interests, esp the warnings and research on jellyfish in thai waters.

I did not have a camera that day, so no image of the jellyfish that stung my wife. But researching on google images, i don't think its a box jellyfish. Its looks most similar to Phyllorhiza punctata, but i did not see the white spots. average size was about 1 foot in diameter.

There were large large colonies of them in the water.

I also attach images of the area stung: note that this photo of my wife is about 8 days AFTER the initial sting. On that day, we treated with vinegar on the boat, and back at hotel, we soaked in hot water for about 40mins, followed by topical application of hydrocortisone cream.

The welts went down, BUT, after around 8 days, there was a secondary severe allergic reaction. The welts came back (and looked worse than the actual day sting), with red spots spreading to the palms. My wife came down with a high fever as well, necessitating a trip to the hospital.

All in all, not a very good conclusion to a holiday in Krabi

Considering she was in a full suit (but w/o gloves), seems very bad luck that she still got stung around her hands and mouth.

Personally for myself, i would tend to lean towards more education/information. If colonies of jellyfish DO tend to congregate around Ao Nang (maybe due to seasonality or warm water etc), perhaps there should be standard warnings around the beaches, hotels and dive operators.

Operators shouldn't worry too much about the potential impact to tourist traffic. After all, this is quite common in Australian beaches, but everyone still goes there...

anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[Quero]

Thanks, kelvinyu73, your further explanation helps. Your wife may be especially susceptible to jellyfish venom. I once had a DMT who was like that. Everybody else in the water would just feel a little prickle that went away with no marks after a few minutes, but this guy got welts all around his neck and on his hands that looked like the ones in your photos. He was stung during a safety stop near the surface, where minute jellies tend to be concentrated (we didn't actually see any fully-grown jellies in the water). His affliction lasted a couple of weeks and itched, like many allergic reactions do. We needed to get him on corticoid creams and antihistamines before he felt any relief. It turns out that he's allergic to stingers in the water. Maybe your wife has a similar sensitivity.

 

[marinediva]

seems the chances of finding a box jelly fish are starting to increase>

Box Jellyfish in Thailand and The Region