irukandgi jellyfish protection

I'm planning dive trip Australia Reef November, 2007. What is latest info on medical treatment of irukandgi jellyfish sting? Vinegar, Epinephrine. Prevention/ Low/no lights? Specifically, what is minimum thickness wet suit, hood that will offer protection?

Also, what are all those little pins and needles I get snorkeling without wet suit when in Philippines? No after effects when I get out of the water..just a nuisance, not even worth the trouble of putting on a two mil skin.

Thank-you for any suggestions /info

Karl

the minimum thickness is about the thickness of panty hoes thats what the australian life guards there wear to protect themselves against box jellies. those little pins and neeldes may be from broken up jellies cause they can still sting you! as for a medical treament, i really dont know of any to be honest but i think theres some sun block out they that is proven to protect you against jelly stings http://www.buysafesea.com/

karlwhubbard:

I'm planning dive trip Australia Reef November, 2007. What is latest info on medical treatment of irukandgi jellyfish sting? Vinegar, Epinephrine. Prevention/ Low/no lights? Specifically, what is minimum thickness wet suit, hood that will offer protection?

Also, what are all those little pins and needles I get snorkeling without wet suit when in Philippines? No after effects when I get out of the water..just a nuisance, not even worth the trouble of putting on a two mil skin.

Thank-you for any suggestions /info

Karl

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In my view, the best treatment is PREVENTION! The Safe Sea lotion from Nideria really works. We have sold THOUSANDS of bottles of this stuff and almost everyone gives great feedback on the lotion. You need sunscreen anyway, so why not get jellyfish sting protection at the same time. Take a look at this link on our website. Our prices are pretty good on this stuff and we can get it our right away. Thanks.

SafeSea Jellyfish Sting Protection Lotion - 5 Sunscreen Strengths - Only $10 Per Bottle

Phil Ellis

From the Safe Sea FAQ:

Are there any kinds of jellyfish that Safe Sea® isn't effective against?
Safe Sea® has not been tested agains the Box jellyfish or the Portuguese Man O' War. These jellyfish are extremely toxic to humans and should be avoided at all costs.

What is latest info on medical treatment of irukandgi jellyfish sting? Vinegar, Epinephrine. Prevention/ Low/no lights?

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Don't know how current this is:

http://www.reef.crc.org.au/discover/plantsanimals/irukandji/index.html

Specifically, what is minimum thickness wet suit, hood that will offer protection?

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The problem seems to be getting stung on the face or other areas not protected by a suit.

There was a Discovery channel(I think) special about it on last week (Deadliest Jellyfish?) on it two researchers dove with them. The guy was stung on the upper lip and the woman on the hand when she removed her glove. They both rushed to the hospital, he spent two days hallucinating and vomiting, she spent two weeks in severe pain.

Afterwards they went back out and this time sealed themselves in full suits and face masks. They were then able to capture samples for study. At the time of the show there was no effective antivenom.

They did mention there's a season for them - it might have been late spring to fall but I'm not sure. Their belief is that they have primitive eyes/brains so if you don't look like food, they're likely to stay away from you - subject to current.

I'm going in the winter(some day), it's their summer and I dive in a swimsuit. Although that my change depending on box jelly season.

btw, it's irukandJi. Lots more info on Google.

sjspeck:

Afterwards they went back out and this time sealed themselves in full suits and face masks. They were then able to capture samples for study. At the time of the show there was no effective antivenom.

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There is now an anti-venin, I believe all ambulances, clinics and hospitals in the region have it.

it might have been late spring to fall but I'm not sure.

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November to May approx; summer in North Queensland.

Whatever you do decide to do, it's important to take this risk very seriously. There's a death about once every two years, and many serious injuries. An acquaintance of mine was crippled for several years and had trouble walking as the result of a box jelly sting. He still has horrific scars 15 years later.

I personally would not get in the water in stinger season except in a full body suit.

Ahh: And I should add, I don't think there's a irukandji anti-venin, I think it's box jellies only.

SafeSea is your best bet for those exposed areas, face, neck, hands. Follow the directions. The one time I didn't put it on the thimble jellies got me good. I had huge itchy welts all around my neck. Vinegar and baking soda helped, and when the itching got so bad, I took a HOT washcloth and scrubbed the crap out of my neck. Felt so good......

k8brandt:

SafeSea is your best bet for those exposed areas, face, neck, hands. Follow the directions. The one time I didn't put it on the thimble jellies got me good. I had huge itchy welts all around my neck. Vinegar and baking soda helped, and when the itching got so bad, I took a HOT washcloth and scrubbed the crap out of my neck. Felt so good......

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Box jelly fish, and their more deadly cousin, the irukandgi, are not your average jelly fish.

They routinely kill people.

The pain is said to me the most intense possible, but mercifully many people black out, drown or go into cardiac arrest soon. The welts the stings cause on survivors stay for life.I believe the toxin is the most powerful venom found in nature.

Trust me - if you get stung by one you are not going to be standing up, let alone dabbing some ointment on.

Go with pantyhose but personally I would use a full body length rash guard or 1 mm.

The key is not to dive or swim near shore – they occur only near the coast. Diving out on the Great Barrier Reef is perfectly safe.

If you get stung then pour vinegar on the sting and get to a hospital

Cheers,
Rohan.

I bought a new Scubapro 0.5 mm Profile Silverskin for my recent Bonaire & St. Eustatius trip, and was glad I did when we encountered a box jelly on our night dive. Not the deadly Aussie or Irukandji type, but supposedly quite painful nevertheless.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/64944/cat/2142

I grew up in a beach town in South Texas and so I'm all too familiar with Portugese Mano'war, and I would not put my faith in Safe Sea alone personally. My 2mm shortie I think is now going into retirement. Also, we saw the box jelly on our night dive - so we wouldn't have ben slathering on sunblock anyway. We have watched the Discovery channel special - what a way to earn a living and notoriety!

The Safe Sea has definitely saved me from pica pica for the most part in the spring in the Caribbean, and I do use the sunblock version. Remembering to slather my ears after once getting hit there! The down side is if you get the cream near your mask seal area, you'll have a leaky mask.

Google on 'stinger suits' and you can see one type of suit available outside of traditional wet suits.