There are a wide variety of these little critters around, and the chart on the left (from the ‘spot the jellyfish’ initiative) shows a selection of the more common ones. The most common of all is the Mauve Stinger, which will give you a pretty painful sting but no more than that. The most dangerous types, however, are the Box Jellyfish and Portuguese Man o’ War. If you see something that looks like either of these, get moving in the opposite direction.
I have been pretty lucky to date (am touching wood as I write this) as I’ve not had any close encounters with the jellyfish. And if you swim in the areas protected by nets, you probably won’t either. But just in case you do get stung, this is what the Public Health Department in Malta recommends that you do:
- Soak or rinse the area in sea water. Fresh water should not be used as this would lead more toxins to be released;
- Remove tentacles with a stick, card or a pair of tweezers, being careful not to touch them with other areas of the skin to avoid secondary stinging;
- Apply alcohol to the area;
- Do not rub the area;
- Do not apply ice or hot water;
- Seek immediate medical treatment in case of difficulty in breathing or swallowing, chest pain or intense pain at the site of the sting.
More Dangers of the Deep: Sharks and Sea Urchins
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My son was stung when we were snorkelling off Marfa. It was only a small one and a couple of metres below him. Not wanting to panic him, I didn’t say anything but encouraged him to swim in another direction away from it. Got stung anyway – D’Oh! He wasn’t happy. Even less happier when he found out that I knew that it was there…….
That said, I think that was the only one I saw over the entire week…..
Keep writing the blog, really enjoy it.
Best wishes
Shaun
…and you had an unfortunate run-in with a sea urchin too if I recall from a previous comment – maybe you should stick to the beach! Cheers Shaun, I will keep writing.
These creatures are evil, vicious and vindictive. Well I know they’re not much more than bags of, well, jelly but in my imagination they are the spawn of the devil. I avoid swimming in the sea even if I see a carrier bag floating around, just in case…then go to the Inspire swimming pool at M’scala. It’s safe there. If you can avoid the pensioners’ aqua exercise sessions, that is. Those pensioners can be almost as bad as the jelly fish.
We were in Malta from July 10-17, 2012. At Ramla Bay, we had to leave because there were so many seen and we were with young children. On Comino, I was stung but it wasn’t too bad. Fresh urine was applied and I thought I had a nice travel story. However, on the way back to the beach, a Portuguese Man-O-War got me. Its tentacles wrapped around 80% of my arm. it felt like I was being electrocuted. The scar lasted six weeks. Would I still go to Malta? Absolutely. Would I be fearful of jellyfish? Absolutely.
Ouch… I have just been lucky I guess.