Have you been to the beaches in South Florida lately? Well, if you have you’ve probably noticed the abundant amount of jellyfish flowing in the waters and embedded into the sands. Last weekend during my weekly beach trip with friends, we all very quickly noticed them (it was hard not to with all the screams of terror going around). Having bore witness to many people getting stung, myself almost being included, there was no surprise because jellyfish are almost impossible to see with their transparent bodies blending into the waters and sand.
Because of this the question, “Is there a jellyfish season here in South Florida?” was raised to me and now I’m here to tell you: yes there definitely is.
Jellyfish season is from early March to late October in South Florida because they are attracted to warmer waters. This makes perfect sense because what better warm temperatures are there than the ones during summer in Florida?
If you are unfortunately one of the plenty of victims that have gotten stung this is what you should do according to Kids Health:
First and foremost, you must remove the tentacles carefully with a pair of tweezers. Next, rinse and soak the affected area with vinegar or hot water. The temperature of the water must be 110-113°F or 43-45°C. And no absolutely do not apply urine to the sting it doesn’t make it better, in fact, it does the complete opposite by releasing more of the venom. Jellyfish stings usually take around a few days or weeks to get better.
Although the jellyfish did ruin my perfect beach day and most likely for others as well, these gel-like creatures never purposely meant to. They simply flow where the currents and winds take them. After getting past the paralyzing fear of being stung, it was honestly a sight to behold. Seeing them flowing gracefully in the water was a little memorizing.
So, enjoy these uninvited guests while you can for the limited amount of time they’re here! If you’re feeling bold you can even touch a jellyfish that’s on the sand if their tentacles are facing downwards like I did though I don’t advise doing that at all.
