Jellyfish concentration in Andaman Sea

[Kelvinyu73]

My wife and me recently came back from a trip to Krabi, and we dived at Ao Nang islands and Phi Phi.

At Ao Nang, we were surprised by the number of jellyfish in the water - on the boat ride out, we also witnessed an entire colony ( ~ 100+).

My wife was unfortunately stung on her wrists during one of her dives :( and still recovering.

has anyone noticed this before, or is it seasonal ?

I did noticed on my dive comp the very high temperatures (31 degrees) in the water.

The jellyfish concentration levelled off, and dropped, the further out we went, and closer we were to Phi Phi.

If this is a common occurrence, shouldn't they put a jellyfish warning in place ?

anyway, a good learning experience for us. Just wondering if anyone else observed something similar.

[Bowmouth]

It's quite normal to occasionally have jelly fish populations close to shore in the Andaman Sea. It happens sometimes in both the "high" and "low" (green) season.
Sometimes in the "green" season after stormy / rough weather jelly fish are being "pushed in" shallow water by surface currents. Other times it's just oceanic currents that bring them in.

Large populations of jelly fish are in general not all that common here though and most jellies encountered here are not all that venomous either. Putting up warnings is a bit over the top I guess.

They are beautiful creatures and part of the ocean environment and it's absolutely normal to see them from time to time when snorkeling, swimming or diving in any ocean in the world.

[Kelvinyu73]

Hi Bowmouth,

thanks for the feedback. I suppose the south west monsoon in june assist in pushing the jellyfish inwards towards shallow water then....

anyway, couple of snorkellers and other divers on the same dive boat got stung too. the density of jellyfish in the water was too much to easily avoid them.

i guess a little local knowledge is a great thing....will keep this factoid in mind next time we're back in Krabi ... :)

[Bowmouth]

You're welcome!

It's not a bad idea to wear a skin suit or (thin) wet suit when diving and/or snorkeling here in the "green" season (or actually any time of the year). It will help to keep the stinging creatures off (most of) your skin and works also great against sun burn.

[Kelvinyu73]

believe it or not, both of us were wearing full suits....my wife got stung around the wrists (no gloves), and around her lips (surrounding the reg)....

now...what are the chances of something like that happening ? :confused:

you can plan for everything, but i guess nature will still have a surprise (or 2) in store....hehe

[jamiemac]

My wife and me recently came back from a trip to Krabi, and we dived at Ao Nang islands and Phi Phi.

At Ao Nang, we were surprised by the number of jellyfish in the water - on the boat ride out, we also witnessed an entire colony ( ~ 100+).

My wife was unfortunately stung on her wrists during one of her dives :( and still recovering.

has anyone noticed this before, or is it seasonal ?

I did noticed on my dive comp the very high temperatures (31 degrees) in the water.

The jellyfish concentration levelled off, and dropped, the further out we went, and closer we were to Phi Phi.

If this is a common occurrence, shouldn't they put a jellyfish warning in place ?

anyway, a good learning experience for us. Just wondering if anyone else observed something similar.

They come and go with the seasons and currents, sometimes in their thousands. No real way to predict them or warn people against them. If you see loads, don't jump in, if you're in already swim about with your hand over your lips and hope for the best.

If you're stuck doing loads of deco and they get you all over, make sure there's lots of vinegar and beer aboard

[Kelvinyu73]

good advice...thx!

[funrecdiver]

Which species of jellyfish are we talking about?

The Box Jellyfish, for example, is said to be one of the most venomous creatures on the planet (http://thaiboxjellyfish.blogspot.com/):


The Chironex Box Jellyfish in Thailand and Malaysia and the Philippines and Indonesia is proven and documented to kill a human in a matter of seconds - the same as the Chironex in Australia.

Anyone have a photo of the creatures under discussion?

[katdiver]

Last year those jelly fish were around for about 2 weeks, this year it has been more like 2 months! The winds have pushed them into the bay and it is more of a problem around our local islands. There are sites we go to regular down in Phi Phi at the moment, where maybe just 1 or 2 are seen during the dive. Water temperatures being well up all last winter are probably to blame. We have noticed a "drop" down to 31C recently!

[limbo]

Which species of jellyfish are we talking about?

The Box Jellyfish, for example, is said to be one of the most venomous creatures on the planet (http://thaiboxjellyfish.blogspot.com/):



Anyone have a photo of the creatures under discussion?

No pictures of the jellyfish mentioned in this post, but my understanding is that they're rather harmless.

Here are two shots of a Morbakka box jellyfish, taken in the Gulf by me, just before a descent, about 6 hours away from Pattaya.

Morbakka with 4 small fish surrounding it (http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/149085/ppuser/69984)

Morbakka with 4 small fish entangled (http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/149087/ppuser/69984)

[funrecdiver]

According to this post, What Does A Box Jellyfish Look Like? (http://thaiboxjellyfish.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-does-box-jellyfish-look-like.html) ....


There are 2 types of Cubozoans being Carybdeid (single tentacle Box Jellyfish - Morbakka, Irukanji etc) and Chirodropid (multi tentacle Box Jellyfish - Chironex, Chiropsalmus etc) with both types very present in Thai waters and both packing a seriously nasty sting.

In addition, the text book, Venomous & Poisonous Marine Animals, A Medical & Biological Handbook, ISBN 0 86840 279 6 (http://www.amazon.com/Venomous-Poisonous-Marine-Animals-Biological/dp/0868402796), describes Morbakka types as "fire jelly" (p. 244) producing "Irukandji-like' reactions from these carbydeids, including low back pain, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache and a "feeling of doom"....

Hence, the literature at hand on Morbakka describes the creatures as quite dangerous, associated with large carybdeid stings and "Irukandji-like" reactions.

Acknowledgment: I would like to thank Dr. Kamonsak Tangchai, Diving Medical Officer, Naval Medical Department, Royal Thai Navy, for recently introducing me to this excellent text, Venomous & Poisonous Marine Animals.

[stevenl]

It is good then we are not talking about those jellyfish here.

[funrecdiver]

It is good then we are not talking about those jellyfish here.

The truth of the matter is that we do not know what jellyfish the original poster's wife was stung by. There has been no description of the jellyfish and no photo, so we cannot conclude anything about the genus or species.

Edit: Also, we don't have any description or photo of the sting site.

Also, please note that even very venomous jellyfish can cause minimal harm if the contact area (envenomation area) is quite small. There is a video of an Australian researcher tagging a (hand size) deadly box jellyfish, which he claimed had enough venom to kill 15 full size adults; he was holding it by the bell (top, non-venomous area) and he accidentally touched a tentacle with his finger. He was stung, but the contact area was so small his off-camera assistant simply splashed vinegar on it and he continued his work.

One small take away point is to always have plenty of vinegar on any dive trip. Also, if you are concerned about these creatures, be sure to wear full body suit protection, gloves and boots. (I do.) In that case, nothing will be exposed to hazardous jellyfish except some neck and face areas. Various hoods offer further head and neck protection.

[stevenl]

There has been no description of the jellyfish and no photo, so we cannot conclude anything about the genus or species.Since this happens sometimes in the area: yes, we can come to conclusions about the species.

[funrecdiver]

Since this happens sometimes in the area: yes, we can come to conclusions about the species.

... and so if you can come to a conclusion about a jelly fish you have not seen and you can name the species, please actually name it.

What is the species you believe stung the original poster?

[stevenl]

Maybe you can start with learning how to read?

The Op was not stung, his wife was.
I did not say I can name the species.

I can just tell you that this happens sometimes, always the same species. I have been stuck myself below a ceiling of them, so we know some of them sting, but nothing spectacular.
I am not an expert on jellyfish and do not know the species, but know enough about them to know these are not box jellyfish.

[funrecdiver]

Maybe you can start with learning how to read?

The Op was not stung, his wife was.
I did not say I can name the species.

I can just tell you that this happens sometimes, always the same species. I have been stuck myself below a ceiling of them, so we know some of them sting, but nothing spectacular.
I am not an expert on jellyfish and do not know the species, but know enough about them to know these are not box jellyfish.

Actually stevenl, I can read very well. In fact, I realized after my post that I accidentally wrote "the original poster" versus typing "the original poster's wife", but because this typo had little significance to the discussion at hand, I did not correct it (because it really does not matter if it was the man or his wife on the topic of species of jellyfish in Thailand, as jellyfish don't really care about our sex as humans - sorry about that).

If you want to get defensive and aggressive over this topic, I am sorry you feel offended. I did not expect a factual discussion would offend you. Sorry if you are offended about jellyfish and species. For me, I have no personals feelings either way, I am simply interested because I am currently doing research in this area and am "fact finding". I was hoping you had facts, when you posted:



Since this happens sometimes in the area: yes, we can come to conclusions about the species. - stevenl


You claimed (your words), "we can come to conclusions about the species" and I have kindly asked you, that since you claim we can come to a conclusion about the species (your words, not ours), kindly and please tell us the species (as you claim).... (sorry again this has offended you).

Now, you are apparently angry and starting to hurl insults at me because you have seemingly made a mistake (or perhaps a typo). Now you are claiming you actually do not know the species. That's perfectly fine, I accept you made a error (perhaps a typo), no big deal.

As a side note: As you can see, I can read and write, and I can do it very well in English and can also read (poorly) in Thai, so I'm glad this discussion is in English. If was in German. Danish, Russian, Arabic, French or Swedish, you would certainly be correct that I can't read, LOL. However in English, I assure you I can read, but I do make typos. Sorry again to have not corrected it, but I did not think the sex of the person stung, or the fact it was the man or his wife, was relevant to a discussion on species of jellyfish in Thai waters.

Anyway, back to facts, I attach a very good paper on jellyfish stings in Thai waters. I have a number of papers on this topic, but this one is particularly well written. I hope you enjoy it. I have many others, and most are not very comprehensive and the information is often conflicting.

One of the problems in Thailand (perhaps worldwide) is that there are few good studies that identify species of jellyfish in various coastal waters. In fact, many probable incidents of deadly (or very serious, non-deadly) jellyfish stings are reported as "heart attacks" or "drownings" or "allergic reactions". I am currently conducting a literature survey on this topic, hence, I'm interested in facts (species, populations densities, probability distributions, etc.)

Hope you have a nice day.

[stevenl]

I am having a fine day, thank you.

As mentioned, we can conclude this is not the box jellyfish you were talking about. So no, no mistake, simply a conclusion.

Good luck with your research.

[Bowmouth]

There are jelly fish in Thailand's seas; both in the Gulf and in the Andaman Sea. Actually there are jelly fish in nearly all seas and oceans in our world. Some of them sting and some don't.
Box jelly fishes (nasty little buggers) have apparently infrequently been seen by some divers and other people in Thai waters. They are uncommon in Thai waters though and chances are you you will never ever see one when you dive or swim in Thailand.
I have dived the last 20 years extensively in Thailand, both in the Gulf and in the Andaman Sea. I have never seen or even glimpsed a box jelly fish. Chances are good you will neither....

[funrecdiver]

Yes, all documented studies on the box jellyfish, especially the smaller "peanut" Irukandji box jellyfish state that you are unlikely to see the Irukandji even if it is within one meter and you are staring directly at it.

In addition, as you mention, the chances of actually being stung by one is very low (you are also unlikely to see the Irukandji, even if it stings you). Studies show that the chances of being actually stung by one (seriously or fatally) is about 1.5 per million tourists in Krabi and 0.5 per million tourists in Trat provinces (paper attached).

The chances of actually seeing one of the nasty creatures is much less, because many of the more troublesome cubozoan species are nearly impossible to see (fingernail size, transparent), even in the best visibility, and much more difficult to see in low visibility diving conditions.

However, if you are the unlucky person who does encounter one, all these statistics mean very little, because it then becomes personal, it goes without saying. There is always a trade-off in tourist areas between awareness, education and tourism perception and business revenue. Naturally, all over the world, governments, tourist trade associations and local businesses all tend to down play the risk, while people who have had a relative or friend seriously injured tend to over play the risk.

What is the most important for all concerned are facts, not speculation and hand-waving. A number of very credible organizations have issued warnings in Thailand; including DAN and the Thai government. There are a number of ongoing (poorly funded, it seems) research programs looking into this area, and it is important that divers, especially divers who are taking photos, photograph box (or box-like) jellyfish, and document the sightings. DAN is currently doing research into this area, and has requested this information.

If anyone spots a suspicious jellyfish, is stung by one, etc. please take a photo (if possible) and log as much details you can, and forward on to DAN.

As for me, I have not seen a jellyfish (any kind) in any of my recent dives in Pattaya; but LOL, the visibility is normally so low and the current (often) strong on the reefs (where I dive) that it is hard to see anything..... but it makes for some thrilling drift dives :D

[funrecdiver]

Here is the paper mentioned above (attached)... Had some trouble attaching it earlier .....

[Quero]

Thank you for all of that frd. While we cannot know simply from the post by the OP what sort of jelly was in the water and that stung his wife, I can say that this spring between Phuket and Krabi there have been literally thousands upon thousands of big jellies with dome-shaped bells covered in white spots: Phyllorhiza punctata, I believe they may be. We do see them seasonally here, but I've never seen them in the quantities that have been present this spring. For some reason, this season many of them had pink-tinted oral arm lobes. I suspect that the warmth of the water and the resulting plankton growth attracted larger numbers than usual of these jellies to our waters this year. Each one of these jellies is capable of filtering roughly 50 m3 of seawater per day, so this must have been a real banquet for them!

It's important to note that while there were/are at times lots of them in the water, they are not a problem for the general population of divers since their "sting" is extremely weak (only strong enough to incapacitate their plankton prey).

[funrecdiver]

Hi Quero,

Thanks for that update on Phyllorhiza punctata.

One thing we (the dive community) might consider to do in the future is create one or more Google Map(s) where we place markers for various sightings (maybe a photo, or description, size and density estimates, date). Researchers could then use the data to correlate various jellyfish sightings, temperatures, tides and seasons. Having a better understanding of how seasonal effects influence jellyfish is something that the authors of (the few) scientific papers have concluded. This, of course, is even more critically important when discussing (and hoping to understand) highly venomous cubozoans.

[Bowmouth]

One thing we (the dive community) might consider to do in the future is create one or more Google Map(s) where we place markers for various sightings (maybe a photo, or description, size and density estimates, date).

I doubt if you would get a lot of help from the (professional) diving community with this. Most people (divers and non-divers alike) do not like (read:hate) jelly fish and rather completely avoid them than try to look for them.
Also, "advertising" the possible existence of and being stung by highly venomous creatures in Thai waters to prospect dive-customer on web-boards, forums and the internet in general will in all likely hood result in some of those people looking for other places to go diving.

I can read and understand from your posts that you are really into jellies and especially the criminally lethal sort. I respect and understand that because I too have a weakness for soft bodied creatures (nudibranchs and some not to be disclosed other "creatures") but I can guarantee you that your passion and interest for jellies is not shared nor understood by the general dive public and dive operator.

Something HOT for you to look into is the harvesting of HUGE amounts of large eatable jellies in inshore waters close to Ranong and Kawthaung (Victoria Point, Myanmar). It's quite a sight to see the local longtail boat fishermen scooping tons of jellies out of shallow water and overloading their small boats with these slimy creatures.
It's quite a sight!

PS: I've tried eating them with some fish-sauce and chilly but I find it's really not all that great to eat.....

[stevenl]

I think they can be beautiful to look at.

[funrecdiver]

I can read and understand from your posts that you are really into jellies and especially the criminally lethal sort. I respect and understand that because I too have a weakness for soft bodied creatures (nudibranchs and some not to be disclosed other "creatures") but I can guarantee you that your passion and interest for jellies is not shared nor understood by the general dive public and dive operator.

Actually, I am currently interested in all venomous creatures in phylum cnidaria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidaria); I also agree with, as you indirectly indicated, there are a lot of "dive professionals" are also not interested. However, I have been lucky, I guess and my recent experience has been that many people are keenly interested. Yesterday I spent the day with a PADI Course Director and he was very interested; and asked to borrow the textbook that I have on loan from a Thai Dive Medical Officer.

While I do understand that a lot of people may be of the belief that burying potential information about venomous and poisonous marine creatures is best for their business interest; I also believe that there are many dive professionals who understand that the best way to insure safe diving is to (1) have accurate information and facts about potential marine hazards (2) understand the marine environment as much as possible and (3) be prepared for medical emergencies that might occur on a dive to a fellow diver.

Pilots that carry passengers have deep knowledge of air hazards and they discuss them openly. The fact there is wind shear and storms in the sky does not stop people from flying. The same is true for just about every professional, because a professional is defined by their ethical responsibility (not their ability to general income); and that ethic is normally defined where "money is less important than their responsibility to others and society as a whole".

In Thailand I have certainly met some dive professionals who are very interested in a better understanding of hazardous marine life, three in the past week in fact. One was a PADI Course Director and one was a medical dive officer and one is a DAN executive. Each of those (three) professionals was very keen on the overall topic of cnidarians and how to protect divers from them and also how to diagnose and treat the unlucky few diving associates who have nasty encounters with them.

Knowledge benefits everyone. Frankly speaking, as a recreational diver, I've just returned to diving (a few months ago) after a long time not diving. This week I finished one 500 page text book on venomous and poisonous marine animals, and read at least 10 academic papers related to the same topic, specific to the Thai marine ecosystem. I still feel like I know very little! On the other hand, I have a special appreciation now to not only "look at the cute fish and colorful corals" but to "be on the lookout for potential hazards" for myself and fellow divers (seems like a good buddy to me ...)

I cannot imagine myself claiming to have thousands of dives (just my view about myself, not others naturally, no disrespect intended to anyone) and, at the same time, have little knowledge of the creatures and hazards that exist in the world we spend so much time in. My experience is that there are many divers and "dive professionals" who also have a keen interest in the marine ecosystem, including developing a basic understanding of the potential hazards in the marine environment.

[Bowmouth]

I have a special appreciation now to not only "look at the cute fish and colorful corals" but to "be on the lookout for potential hazards" for myself and fellow divers

If you mean that during your dives in Thailand you will be on the look-out for box jelly fish than I wish you good luck. Be prepared to do thousands of dives and maybe you'll be "lucky" enough to find one. I read somewhere in your posts though that they are small and often extremely hard to see so that will give your search another twist.
To me it sounds like looking for a needle in a hay-stack....

[limbo]

If you mean that during your dives in Thailand you will be on the look-out for box jelly fish than I wish you good luck. Be prepared to do thousands of dives and maybe you'll be "lucky" enough to find one. I read somewhere in your posts though that they are small and often extremely hard to see so that will give your search another twist.
To me it sounds like looking for a needle in a hay-stack....

Together with this post by you;


There are jelly fish in Thailand's seas; both in the Gulf and in the Andaman Sea. Actually there are jelly fish in nearly all seas and oceans in our world. Some of them sting and some don't.
Box jelly fishes (nasty little buggers) have apparently infrequently been seen by some divers and other people in Thai waters. They are uncommon in Thai waters though and chances are you you will never ever see one when you dive or swim in Thailand.
I have dived the last 20 years extensively in Thailand, both in the Gulf and in the Andaman Sea. I have never seen or even glimpsed a box jelly fish. Chances are good you will neither....

In less than 2000 dives in 11 years in Thailand, I've had two encounters with box jelly fish, one on Chaweng beach where a student of me was stung by box jellyfish in November 2003 and a recent encounter, earlier this year in the Gulf of Thailand, 6 hours by slow boat from Pattaya, of which I posted a link to pictures;

Morbakka with 4 small fish surrounding it (http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/149085/ppuser/69984)

Morbakka with 4 small fish entangled (http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/149087/ppuser/69984)

As frd already explained, there's always a trade-off in tourist areas between awareness, education and tourism perception and business revenue. In this respect I'm involved in a project that has (ideally all) hotels around the island place first aid boxes with vinegar on the beaches in front of their hotel with instructions in three languages of what to do, English, German and Thai.
The theft of vinegar can be avoided by colouring the vinegar with food colour fluid.

On my part, I'm very interested in knowing about box jelly fish, since the facts are clear for Thailand, they are around, nothing to be really worried about, chances of being stung are small, but due to my awareness, I was able to recognise the Morbakka's off Pattaya and take pictures of it, much to the enlightenment of the experts, of whom I have lots of regular contact with on this topic.

On my dive blog I write on a regular base about the box jelly fish and those posts receive more hits on a monthly base than any of my dive related posts.

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

[funrecdiver]

If you mean that during your dives in Thailand you will be on the look-out for box jelly fish than I wish you good luck. Be prepared to do thousands of dives and maybe you'll be "lucky" enough to find one. I read somewhere in your posts though that they are small and often extremely hard to see so that will give your search another twist.
To me it sounds like looking for a needle in a hay-stack....

There are a lot more venomous creatures in the marine environment in Thailand (and everywhere in the world) than "just" box jellyfish. 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. When divers are aware of them in waters they dive, divemasters should mentioned them on pre-dive briefings (things to be aware of), and if a diver sees them while diving, they should give the "danger sign" to their fellow divers. (Note: It would be good if pre-dive briefings would be more like group discussions versus one-way announcements, but that is a topic for another day.)

The point is not to "look for needles in haystacks", but to be aware of the marine environment divers are diving in. If a diver sees a box jellyfish, they should report it immediately. If they have a camera or a photog in the water, they "could" safely snap a photo (far away from the creature and long tentacles, of course - or maybe just get away and forget about photos!). If there is a confirmed box jelly in the waters a recreational group is diving in, and someone does happen to see one (Chironex fleckeri for example, can be up to 20 cm in diameter, but Carukia barnesi [Irukandji] is only around 2 cm !) there should be a boat recall and divers should exit the water. As mentioned, the chances to see one are remote, but none-the-less, a chance does exist.

I have a work-in-progress Google document where I'm starting to list various venomous marine creatures in Thailand, which is basically some personal "notes" as we continue to get more information (and wade through the misinformation). Anyone can contribute to it if they have a Google account (the doc has a long way to go, but the document straw man is in place):


Venomous Marine Creatures in Thailand - Work in Progress (http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmbXQVPLTFyAdEd2c29qbjhZNHlNRmQ3bjlocjVJR VE&hl=en)

As mentioned, this document has a long way to go, and I'm still working on it. If anyone wishes to contribute, please do and enjoy!

Edit: Please note that as we get more data, we will include a "risk profile" for each marine hazard, which basically will be a qualitative intersection of the elements of risk, namely (1) vulnerability, (2) threat and (3) criticality. If anyone is interested, I can elaborate on these three "elements" of risk and risk management.

[funrecdiver]

[...]
On my part, I'm very interested in knowing about box jelly fish, since the facts are clear for Thailand, they are around, nothing to be really worried about, chances of being stung are small, but due to my awareness, I was able to recognise the Morbakka's off Pattaya and take pictures of it, much to the enlightenment of the experts, of whom I have lots of regular contact with on this topic.

On my dive blog I write on a regular base about the box jelly fish and those posts receive more hits on a monthly base than any of my dive related posts.

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

That's four so far that I know of (personally, direct first hand knowledge, not including authors of books and papers I have yet to meet and others to meet someday) ....

Two PADI course directors, one DAN executive and one funrecdiver -- I assume there are many more, but time will tell.

[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 (http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/TCP/faq/TCPfaq2b.cfm?ID=57), 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
(http://www.scubadivingphuket.net/scubadivingphuket/2010/04/03/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 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2251544.stm)

[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 (http://www.pa-divingidc.com/2010/05/jelly-box-fish-thai-work-group-visiting.html) 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 (http://thaiboxjellyfish.blogspot.com)

[Quero]

Langkawi has had a number of stings in a short period. There was an Italian tourist stung near Telaga Tujuh on Langkawi on Jan 19 this year, and a week later a Swedish tourist there died from a jelly sting on Pantai Cenang. Now the sting at Pulau Dayang Bunting (adjacent to Langkawi). Langkawi is not in Thailand but in Malaysia and sits in an area of murky water at the top of the Straits of Malacca. However, it is within sight of the Thai Butang island group/Tarutao National Park.

[Kelvinyu73]

thats interesting...geographically, Langkawi is just south east of Phi Phi....and facing the same stretch of Andaman sea...it sits at the mouth of the Straits of Malacca.....

next time, i'm going to the Similans.....:) avoid all these warm coastal waters...hehehe

[adamthornton]

I was diving in Thailand this past May. I remember see'ing a lot of these ghost-pink jellyfish in the water, EVERYWHERE! Naturally I avoided them. On this dive we had very low vis and lost my AOW instructor, when I surfaced we had been separated quite a bit so the boat picked me up to drop me off again near him. He had mentioned that the jellyfish wouldn't hurt you. He found out the hard way of running into one face first. I didn't worry as much after that. I believe this was at Koh Dok Mai. We then went to the King Cruiser wreck. I didn't see nearly as many jellyfish there, however, I was stung somewhere in the middle of my dive but wasn't an extreme sting. Just a little irritation.

I'm not sure if what stung me was the same as all the jellyfish I had seen prior. Also, these same ghost-pink jellyfish were surrounding the boat on the way back to port. I checked my pictures for this trip and didn't see where I had snapped any of them. However, I have found a picture of what I was see'ing. They were literally everywhere, almost completely unavoidable. But keep in mind, I'm not sure if this is what stung me or not, but apparently I didn't have the type of reaction as posted now.

Being never stung by a jellyfish prior to this in my life, I wasn't sure what it was supposed to feel like anyway. I just always remembered my family members screaming if they got stung.... (we were children then).

But on a side note: I'm still looking forward to diving in Thailand again in August!

[stevenl]

Sounds like you encountered some sealice under water.