Provo - sea lice in April ?
 

Has anyone encountered sea lice (jelly fish larvae) at Grace Bay in late April?<BR>

I went to Grand Cayman last year end of April/beginning of May and they were prevelant.

Cheryl,<BR><BR>Are they bad enough that you cannot go into the water? What do they actually do to you?<BR><BR>

I'll be down in the Caribbean that time too-end of april/beginning of May. Are they all over the Caribbean and what happens if you come in contact with them?<BR>

Provo gets sea lice--and I got 'em--BAD. It was early May in Grace Bay. It is like a bad attack of mosquito bites. I had hundreds if not thousands of stings. Ended up in the hospital. You never know when or where they will strike. It is just a natural phenomenon.

Jodi,<BR>Is there any precautions one can take to prevent the occurance of the stings, and once gotten any remedies to aleviate discomfort. We are also traveling to Turks/Caicos later April/first of May and we are avid water people, and do not want to be hindered by an annoyance of such that it keeps us out of the water.

Some people are just more succeptible than others. I went swimming with a friend in Nassau, and she ended up with hundreds of bites and 3 calls to the EMS, I however had not a single bite. <BR>(She also get's terrible bites from no see um's, and I rarely get anything.<BR>Sea lice take residence on the ropes around protected waters, or in the coral. They are larvae, so they are not swimming. You should not touch these areas.<BR>If you are likely to get a reaction, you can use petroleum jelly to protect your body. If you are bitten, calamine lotion, benydryl and cortisone are the treatments. I usually keep cortisone cream and an oral benydryl in my travel kit. <BR>These critters are prevelant in the caribbean)(or any warm water) during certain seasons, as well as Mexico. This same friend had a similar reaction when we stay in Puerto vallarta.

When does the season end? I will be at Parsdise Island first week in June. Will sea lice still be a problem then? Thanks for the information!

Okay...<BR>What time of year would these little buggers hit the Bahamas?<BR>Will sunscreen help keep them from biting? (It works here in New England lakes to keep the duck doo from giving swimmers rashes!<BR>

If you are swimming in the water, can you see the sea lice, so you can avoid them? or are they miniscule?

The larvae are indeed free swimming. You cannot see them. Just by avoiding touching mooring lines or coral (you shouldn't be touching it anytime!), will offer you NO protection. If they are in the area where you are swimming, you will get bitten. Some people will get it worse than others.<BR><BR>There is a sunscreen from Israel that is supposed to work against sea lice and jellyfish. I bought it, but haven't had occasion to use it yet. It costs about $12.00+. I can't remember the name right now. You can find it in scuba supply stores. Be careful!

Here's what I know ... "Sea Lice" are actually the larvae of thimble jellyfish. (Do a search on Google for thimble jellyfish and you will get some useful information.) They are about the size of a speck of pepper so you cannot see them, but you will be able to see the thimble jellyfish (about 1/2 inch diameter) which tend to swarm. These jellyfish tend to spawn in late spring. Avoid areas on the water where you see them. When we were in Grand Cayman it varied from day-to-day where they were especially prevalent. <BR><BR>What happens is that the larvae ("sea lice") tend to stick to the insides of your bathing suit and then rub against your skin causing a hyperreactivity skin reaction, usually appearing in 4-24 hours, often called a "sea rash." This can vary from mild to severe, and takes about 4-14 days to go away. To avoid, change your swimsuit after going into the water and then rinse off. Do not leave swimsuits on for long periods of time after leaving the water. The rash can be treated with topical antihistamine/anti-itch ointment and oral antihistamines. Also, the dive shops sell an aloe based ointment with menthol/camphor to relieve itching. (See if you can bring this ahead of time in case needed; they totally overcharge for this in shops on island.)

How early in April have these sea lice made their appearance?

It's my understanding that it has to do with the water temp. I've been told that they can only exist at certain temps., 80 - 84 degrees. I got bitten badly by them in the Keys and Grand Cayman while snorkeling. I didn't touch anything. My husband was with me and he got nothing. But then, I always collect all the mosquito bites too. Rinsing in fresh water will dislodge them. Make sure you get the fresh water inside your suit as well!

just returned. no sign of anything in the water (but fish).