St. Lucia - jellyfish
May 22nd, 2000, 12:27 PM
#2
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While on St. Lucia in November '98 we went in the ocean 5 or 6 different days. We only saw jellyfish on two of the days (one day it was just non-stinging jellyfish which had black dots), and I was stung once while snorkeling at Anse Chastanet (by a jellyfish that I never saw). My boyfriend did not get stung although he was right next to me at the time. At the time I got stung I felt tingling all over one leg and didn't know what it was. I got out of the water and began feeling a burning feeling and had red welts all over my leg. I walked up to the dive shop on the beach and they poured vinegar all over my leg and the pain immediately subsided and the swelling went down and I felt fine. Overall, an unpleasant experience but nothing major (less painful than a bee sting). It kept me out of the water for the rest of that day but I went right back in the next day. After talking to others there it is apparent that jellyfish vary depending on location, weather, current, and tides. Only some of the jellyfish sting and the locals can tell you what to look for. We saw no jellyfish at Jalousie Hilton while we were there. When I subsequently went back to Anse Chastanet to try snorkeling again, the jellyfish were gone and we were told the current had changed. The snorkeling at Anse Chastanet was great so if you are there on a day when there are stinging jellyfish, I would not let that put you off -- be persistent and try again another day because it is totally worth it. I would not bring ointment or salve, as the dive shops should have vinegar for you in the event you get stung. I have heard some others swear by Adolph's meat tenderizer but the vinegar did the trick for me. Of course, you could always wear a wetsuit and we did see some people doing that.
