bobbieharv

my husband and I watched a program on the discovery channel about these deadly box jellyfish the size of a fingernail, and now he says he's not going in, even though we're going out to lizard island with daintree air one day, and a wavelength trip the next!!
Do stinger suits protect against these creatures? What about our faces? Hands? Feet? Should we be worried? (we'll be going at the end of January)
thanks!

dave_261

Apparently the jellyfish are not found out by the reef (only inland), so tell him not to worry.

pat_woolford

No-one's 100% sure there are no irukandji on reef, although its highly unlikely. That's why reef operators supply stinger suits. Very recent research (in last fortnight) has discovered a huge irukandji breeding ground off Double Island, which is just off Palm Cove. And they're a whole lot bigger than the size of a fingernail, they're just the juveniles. Previous to this discovery they were thought to breed in coastal mangrove areas. Double Island is still a long distance from reef

pat_woolford

about 30 miles. About 1.6million visit Great Barrier Reef yearly and are not stung, either by irukandji or box jelly fish (much worse). Stinger suits are designed to protect legs, arms and torso, the parts of the body where stings occur.

bobbieharv

Thanks for your replies!
We are staying in Palm Cove - guess we shouldn't be swimming off the beach there? Also - they don't sting feet or hands or faces?

fuzzylogic

No - they only like the really fleshy bits!! Come on, though, what do you think?
Having said that you are more likely to be run over as a pedestrian, or injured in a road accident, or shot on the streets in any large city in the US than you are to be stung by an irukandji jellyfish out on the reef.

Swimming off the beach in January is another matter and not recommended.

pat_woolford

Palm Cove, along with other Cairns' beaches and Four Mille beach, Port Douglas, is a lifesaver patrolled beach and it does have a marine stinger net in place for the months when they are likely to occur - November-June. Beaches are "swept" every morning and if there's any indication of stinger presence the whole beach is closed for swimming, netted area included. Yes, some tourists do swim outside netted area. In January, beaches are also sometimes closed due to estuarine crocodile activity (crocs are not unknown on Lizard Island), so a stinger suit doesn't help there. Be assured that the reef is safe, operators are aware of all hidden dangers and will take necessary precautions. Wearing a stinger suit on reef isn't a bad idea anyway, it will protect you from sunburn which is a far likelier danger than a jellyfish sting.

9 people have died so far this holiday break on Queensland roads, the last jellyfish fatality was 3 years ago, on coastal beach. As fuzzylogic says, chances of sting on reef are miniscule.

tropo

Pat, I think a small number of persons have been stung by the irukandji on continental islands, eg. Great Keppel Island, in fact a documentary was shown regarding these small stingers, and I think it talked about a female worker on the above island being stung whilst snorkelling.
Getting closer to Hervey Bay, we don't get those stingers, only the blue bottles, however, the local 7 news did talk about Irukandjis being found on Agnes Water beach.

pat_woolford

That's right, tropo, continental islands including Fitzroy off Cairns - don't know if anyone has been stung on Double Island off Palm Cove,(where they've just found vast irukandji breeding grounds) the resort there is so exclusive no one talks about it!

pat_woolford

ttt