Vacationers to the Hawaiian island of Oahu are being warned to avoid going into the ocean today, as hundreds, if not thousands, of lethal jellyfish swarm the coast. They’re hitting the coast in abnormal quantities in recent days.
Box jellyfish normally come near Oahu’s shores several days after a full moon. Visitors and residents can check the jellyfish arrival prediction calendar to know when to be on the look out.
Box jellyfish uses the most deadly venom in the animal kingdom, killing 5,567 since recorded deaths began in 1884, and are mostly found in the waters of Australia. A box jellyfish’s sting attacks the heart, nervous system and skin cells and is so powerful, victims have been known to go into shock and die of heart failure before they even have the chance to reach the shore.
Box jellies are pale blue and transparent in color, have up to 15 tentacles and can reach over 10 feet in length! Each tentacle has more than 5,000 stings triggered by chemicals released from a prey’s skin.
What makes box jellyfish particular dangerous is that, unlike other jellyfish, box jellyfish are able to power their way through the water at up to four knots (as fast as a small boat).
If you do plan on going into the water of Oahu this week, pay extra attention if you’re at the following locations:
- Waikiki
- Hanauma Bay
- Pokai Bay
- Makaha surfing beach
- Waimea Bay
If you’re stung, look for a lifeguard station, as they’ll have supplies for treating any wounds.
It’s probably best to avoid these areas completely for the next couple of days.
Sheila Beal
8 comments
Doesn’t exactly want to make me visit!
I’m told that meat tenderizer also lessens the pain from jellyfish stings (y’know, if you don’t die instantly). I wouldn’t know; I avoid even dead jellyfish parts like the plague.
They’ll be gone in a few days. In the meantime, you can grab a mai tai, go for a hike, play some golf or simply lay in the sun! 🙂
Blimey!
I suggest use wetsuits.They come in about like 1,500 over night and mostly irukandji jellyfish that are similar to box but have no antivenom so death is avaiable.Surfers must take great caution while surfing if they found trapped in a swarm they should sit on their board and put one ahnd in the air so lifeguards can retrieve them.I will post more comments soon.
Thanks, Dylan.
My little sister (age 16) and I vacationed on Kauai in April this year (Hawaii). She was stung by a box jellyfish, the only one we and others were aware of in area where we were at the very southern shores of the island. The resorts in the island area were not aware either.
The sting was on the inside of her thigh, (she saw the jellyfisht too late) and was so toxic and painful, it swelled up the size of a grapefruit, drained for a week after the wound was opened in the ER. She was very sick. Beware and I appreciate Dylan’s recommendation for wetsuits, you can’t afford not to take that precaution as the medical costs, let alone the health risks are significant.