What to know about critters under the sea
Jellyfish stings, shark bites and sea lice all can put a damper on vacation for swimmers
KNOXVILLE — Summer has officially started, and many are packing their cars with towels, coolers and boogie boards and heading to the beach for vacation.
h
There are plenty of beaches on the East Coast to visit, with some of the most popular ones in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. But before you make your way to the shore, be aware of recent issues on some beaches.
h
If you’re heading to the beach, you might be a little bit worried about encountering one of the most well-known dangers of the sea: sharks.
June saw a couple of shark-related incidents on the East Coast. A blacktip shark made its way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in early June. Locals and vacationers saw the shark swimming close to shore, about 100 yards north of the pier.
Later in the month, 11-year-old Adyson McNeely was bitten by a shark while vacationing in St. Simons Island, Georgia. The Tennessee native thought she had been bitten by a crab, but a vacationing doctor who stepped in to help said she was bitten by a sand shark. How common are shark attacks? According to the International Shark Attack File’s Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary, 2017 was “just an average year” for shark attacks worldwide with 88 unprovoked shark attacks and five fatalities recorded. That is higher than the most recent five-year average of 83 unprovoked attacks; however, the highest year on record, 2015, saw 98 unprovoked incidents.
The United States had the most unprovoked attacks, 53, but no fatal incidents in 2017, according to the summary. Florida had 31 attacks in 2017, the most of any state. Other states with unprovoked shark attacks were South Carolina (10), Hawaii (6), and California (2). Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia each had one unprovoked shark incident.
So if you don’t want to get bitten by a shark, don’t go to Florida, right? Well, that’s not necessarily true. While more shark attacks happen in Florida, Lindsay French from the International Shark Attack File Institute, said the large number isn’t because there are more sharks; it’s because there are more people.
“The more people we have in the water, the higher risk of encountering a shark bite,” French said. “When compared to the billions of people we put in the ocean every year, that number is extremely low.”
When it comes to who is being bitten, surfers and other board sports participants accounted for 59 percent of the cases. Swimmers and waders accounted for less than a quarter of total incidents.
Most shark bites occur in the “surf zone” or near-shore waters, typically in the “drop-off ” areas between sandbars, French said. These areas are where sharks are feeding on their natural prey, which tend to congregate in these regions.
Despite the higher number of reported incidents, French said, the public shouldn’t be concerned about the increase.
“Every year, we should expect to see an increase in shark bites due to the increase in number of beach recreationalists and increase in reporting. The chances of encountering a shark bite continue to remain extremely low compared to the number of people going into the ocean.”
If you’re still worried, French said, there are a few ways you can lower your chances of being bitten by a shark.
❚ Avoid being in the water during darkness or dusk and dawn;
❚ Always stay in groups and do not wander too far from shore;
❚ Avoid wearing shiny items such as jewelry, as the reflected light may attract sharks by resembling the shine of a fish;
❚ Always exercise caution in the ocean, as sharks are a natural part of the ecosystem and people are not.
In fact, you’re more likely to be killed by a different ocean dweller — the jellyfish.
Jellyfish bigger risk than sharks
If you think your chances of getting stung by a jellyfish are low, you might want to think again.
In mid-June, more than 800 people were treated for jellyfish stings in central Florida over three days, according to Volusia County beach officials. The large number isn’t too unusual: Florida reports about 200,000 jellyfish stings annually, said Sharyl Crossley, the senior aquarist at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.
“Something like 150 million people annually are stung by jellies around the world,” Crossley said.
And yes, jellyfish are a bigger risk than sharks. A previous USA TODAY article reported that box jellyfish alone are responsible for more deaths than sharks worldwide.
What you get stung by will depend on where you are and when you are there, Crossley said. Lion’s mane jellies, East Coast sea nettles, box jellies and many more live along the East Coast.
“Even the ‘tame’ moon jelly can sting you where your skin is thin and delicate such as on your face or wrists,” Crossley said. “You are best served to look up what dangerous marine life may be in the area where you bathe and swim.”
The Portuguese man-o-war, a jellyfish-like animal that’s not technically a jellyfish, also can be found along East Coast beaches, such as Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia.
These aquatic creatures float above the waterline, but their long strands of tentacles lurk below. These tentacles can grow to be 30 feet long and may extend by as much as 100 feet. Their stings can cause welts on exposed human skin.
Jellyfish have harpoon-like structures full of venom on their tentacles that inject the venom into your skin. Most jellyfish stings can be treated with vinegar or a topical treatment like “Sting No More.”
Things you shouldn’t do with a jellyfish sting: urinate on it, cover the sting in shaving cream or baking soda, scrape out the tentacles or rinse it with seawater. All of these may do more harm than good.
But is there a way to avoid being stung by a jellyfish?
Unfortunately, the only real way to avoid jellyfish completely is to stay out of the water. The only other proven option, Crossley said, is to wear protective clothing such as wet suits, gloves and booties.
“But keep in mind, any exposed skin can be stung,” Crossley said.
It’s not uncommon to see jellyfish washed up on the shore. Although their bouncy exterior might be tempting to touch, Crossley suggested avoiding the small beached animal.
“It is important to understand, a dead jelly on the beach can still sting you if you touch it,” Crossley said.
Stinging sea lice
Adult jellyfish aren’t the only animal you might be stung by at the beach. Lifeguards on Florida panhandle beaches are reporting “sea lice,” small jellyfish larvae that can cause rashes. While these small organisms are commonly called “sea lice” among beach goers and lifeguards, they have no relation to the actual parasite found in fish that are also known as sea lice.
According to a report by the Florida Department of Health, many people experience the rash in areas covered by bathing suits. This is because the larvae get trapped under your swimsuit, and as your bathing suit rubs against your skin, the “sea lice” begin to sting.
The rash usually becomes noticeable four to 24 hours later, according to the report. It lasts about seven days, and those with the rash may find it difficult to sleep because of the itchiness. Other symptoms includes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, weak chills, muscle spasms, joint pain and a sense of malaise, according to the report.
“Similar to insect bites or poison ivy, everyone reacts a little bit different,” Crossley said.
Crossley said other larvae, such as larval shrimp, can cause the swimmers rash as well. These larvae don’t have the stinging cells like the jelly larvae but instead have a “spiny exoskeleton that sticks you like a little needle.”
Thimble jellies specifically are found in warm surface waters around the world and are common in the western Atlantic Ocean, especially West Indies and the Bahamas, Crossley said.
If you are stung by “sea lice,” there are a few ways to treat the rash. The report suggests taking an antihistamine such as Benadryl to relieve the itching and applying a hydrocortisone cream to the area. It also suggests a bath in a colloidal oatmeal mixture and applying calamine lotion.
There are a few ways to minimize the number of stings, according to the report:
❚ Swimmers should avoid wearing Tshirts while in the ocean;
❚ Women should consider two-piece instead of one-piece bathing suits, to reduce the surface area of swimwear that could trap larvae;
❚ Swimmers should change out of their bathing suits as soon as possible after leaving the water;
❚ Bathing suits should be thoroughly washed with detergent and heat-dried after use.
“Jellies have no control over where the currents take them or even over their own stinging cells,” Crossley said. “They are almost completely automated and at the mercy of the currents. We just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when we get stung.”
Jellyfish can be hard to see in murky waters, but there’s something in the ocean that you can’t even see that potentially could be dangerous: bacteria.
Beaches with bacteria
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, made the news a few weeks ago after high levels of bacteria were reported in the ocean.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control found high levels of Enterococcus, or ETCOC, bacteria in certain spots of Myrtle Beach and placed short-term temporary swimming advisories in 10 locations.
All of the advisories have been lifted, but there are many spots along South Carolina’s coast that are under longterm swimming advisories.
Rainfall and storm water runoff are the primary causes of high bacteria levels in the area, according to DHEC. The areas that are under long-term swimming advisories consistently have higher-than-normal bacteria levels.
ETCOC is a type of fecal coliform, and increased levels in certain sections of the ocean could cause illness, according to DHEC.
DHEC reports that the most commonly reported recreational water illness would be gastroenteritis illnesses. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Skin, ear, respiratory, eye and wound infections can occur as well.
If you have open cuts or wounds, DHEC advises staying out of the water completely. It also says young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems should be especially cautious in areas with temporary swimming advisories.
Even though you can’t swim in the bacteria-heavy waters, you shouldn’t be deterred from the beach completely. Beach goers are welcome to wade in and collect shells in the area, and visitors are also still allowed to fish in the area. Also, there are many other areas of the beach with no swimming advisories.
You can check the South Carolina DHEC website for updates on swimming advisories along all South Carolina coasts, including Hilton Head and Kiawah islands.
Most of the Georgia coast is safe to swim, except for two spots on Jekyll Island.
You can also find the water quality tests of Florida’s beaches on its website.