Jellyfish on the beach

As you may have seen there have been lots of Jellyfish on the beach in the last couple of weeks, they can be a fairly common sight throughout the summer months. Moon jellyfish, which are translucent with four distinctive pinkish-purple spheres, are relatively harmless and have a mild sting whereas others, such as the large reddish Lion’s Mane jellyfish or Compass jellyfish, can cause painful stings. General advice is to not handle any Jellyfish washed up on the beach.

Stings can be painful and may cause redness, swelling or a stinging sensation. The RNLI advise avoiding rinsing with fresh water or any substances with alcohol as this can worsen the sting. Instead, use a card to gently scrape off any remaining tentacles, then head back into the sea to rinse off. The cold salt water will help to soothe the pain and deactivate any remaining stingers from releasing further venom.

If you start to feel unwell, or notice a rash or swelling, seek medical assistance as it may be signs of an allergic reaction.