Nitinat Jellyfish
Nitinat Jellyfish
Can't help but notice the increasing number of jellyfish in Nitinat Lake over my last few weekends up there. I know this it not uncommon in the later months of the summer but my question is, has anyone ever heard of someone being stung by these guys? How bad are the stings from the type of jellyfish that we see in the lake?
If I make it up there for one final weekend this summer, I think I'll definitely be wearing booties and hope I don't take an epic wipeout face first into a school of jellyfish!
If I make it up there for one final weekend this summer, I think I'll definitely be wearing booties and hope I don't take an epic wipeout face first into a school of jellyfish!
Not professing to know all the species and what they do as far as stings.....
Even the white ones that hold very little coloration at all can sting though.....I did what was likely a headplant into one with an older helmet once and bits and pieces of it slowly slid onto my eyebrow as I was sailing. I got into my eyes and onto the face, stinging quite a bit, and took a while to realize what was going on and why. I have touched the red ones and they burn pretty good depending on which skin contacts. Not too worried about feet but eyes and face is a definite potential.
Even the white ones that hold very little coloration at all can sting though.....I did what was likely a headplant into one with an older helmet once and bits and pieces of it slowly slid onto my eyebrow as I was sailing. I got into my eyes and onto the face, stinging quite a bit, and took a while to realize what was going on and why. I have touched the red ones and they burn pretty good depending on which skin contacts. Not too worried about feet but eyes and face is a definite potential.
Wish less, sail more!!
Vancouver Island Windsports
Chinook /Takuma /KA Australia (Tribal) /Aztron
You're either in or in the way....
Doing things the hard way since 1963....
Vancouver Island Windsports
Chinook /Takuma /KA Australia (Tribal) /Aztron
You're either in or in the way....
Doing things the hard way since 1963....
- downwind dave
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i once got tangled up with a big orange one (i think they are called Lions) while waterstarting, as i came up out of the water it's stingers dragged across my leg from knee to ankle. pain was similar to stinging nettle, went away in about 1/2 hr. i did stop on the caycuse gravel bar and pee on my leg, not sure if it helped much. so on the scale of stingy things, pretty benign. the little blue one that got me in Baja was way worse.
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I think the big ones are "Lion's mane". I've had minor stings - like a wasp when it just nicks you, its gone in a few minutes (yeh, like stinging nettle). I've heard of some other people getting stung a bit more badly but it seems really rare, given when the lion's mane are thick, it seems like the water is 30% jellyfish. There is another kind of jellyfish occasionally at the lake, but she almost never stings, the bark can be quite bad though
As DWD says, NOTHING like those little blue bastards in Mexico.
As DWD says, NOTHING like those little blue bastards in Mexico.
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- mortontoemike
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Two little girls were collecting them last weekend barehanded as they washed up on the beach. Based on their smiles and giggles I'd say they weren't getting stung.
I generally ride with low cut booties and 3/4 legged wetsuit. I've not been stung over the last 3yrs. I've stopped thinking about that and just used the jelly fish to gauge my speed as I zip past them.
I generally ride with low cut booties and 3/4 legged wetsuit. I've not been stung over the last 3yrs. I've stopped thinking about that and just used the jelly fish to gauge my speed as I zip past them.