Beaches that are both beautiful and dangerous line the Sydney coastline. On a recent trip to Manly Beach with my daughter to buy roller skates from a seaside skate shop, we heard the following message over the public address (PA) system:
Attention swimmers! Swarms of stinging Bluebottle jellyfish are washing up by the bucket loads. We cannot provide any emergency medical services at this time and ask that you swim at your own risk! There is no cure for the sting.
The announcement repeated every hour. After buying the skates, our curiosity led us down to the beach to see what was going on. We didn't have to go far before noticing the creepy blue shimmering bubbles strung together in clusters stretched along the sandy shoreline - a.k.a. bluebottles.
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| Bluebottles on Manly Beach |
These are colonial jellyfish with several colony members connected to one main tentacle. It was fascinating and disgusting. Each individual colony is named for its particular purpose such as feeding, reproducing and stinging. Yipes!
Several varieties of Bluebottles wash up on the Australian and New Zealand coastlines every year. Luckily for us in Sydney, we most often get the smaller and least dangerous variety.
They look like half inflated translucent bubbles topped with floats that act like sails. Tossed about by the wind, they move in with the waves and out with the tide. Some of the Bluebottle's colorful parts are purple in open water and blue on the sand - common hues for sea creatures that live on the ocean's surface. The combination of their materials, illumination and coloration, acts as a camouflage when they are floating on top of the water, making them extremely effective hiders and hunters. The same matter somehow protects them from UV damage.
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| Bluebottle swarm on Manly Beach |
While on the beach, dead or alive, the Bluebottle's powerful stinging cells - some of which are invisible - remain active. When the tentacles come in contact with skin, even for a moment, they deliver a painful sting. The venom in their tentacles can travel to the lymph nodes and joints so it is important, if stung, to remove them quickly.
Rather than using your fingers to prick them off, use a stick, knife, fork or any nearby object.
If you get this far without freaking, out continue to use caution. Sudden movement when removing the tentacles will cause them to release more venom, resulting in additional pain. Similar to hives, nasty red welts (as shown below) are the body's reaction to being stung.
The sting is not life threatening, but can cause further complications for those who are young, old or allergic so it is important to immediately wash the affected area.
Old fashioned trestments included a vinegar wash, because of its acidity, or a urine rinse, for the same reason. In most cases you probably won't have any vinegar in your beach bag and peeing on a jellyfish sting, for most people, is a bit gross.
According to the Australian Resuscitation Council, washing the area with sea water (there is plenty of that at the beach) followed by a hot or cold shower is 50% more effective than all other treatments to alleviate the pain which can last for an hour or more.
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| Dailytelegraph.com.au |
My daughter and I saw a teenage boy coming out of the water holding onto his leg and hopping around in pain - obviously a Bluebottle victim. Later that day, I read in the local news that over 50 people had been stung, just that morning, at another nearby beach. We were careful not to step on the critters.
Sydney-siders have every right to boast about their beautiful beaches, in spite of the Bluebottles. The picturesque views encompass clear ocean water, golden & white sandy shores, naturally carved rock pools, overhanging cliffs and beachside swimming pools.
Behind the beaches are rows of trendy shops, restaurants, bars, and quaint villages nestled in hills of varying heights.
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| Balmoral Beach Cliff |
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| Bondi Beach in Sydney |
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| Bondi Beach Cliffs |
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| Bondi Beach Swimming Pool |
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| Dee Why Beach |
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| Dee Why Beach |
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| Dee Why Beach Rock Pools |
But this is Australia . . . and if you are coming from the US, i.e. Kansas, expect the unexpected, like the shark fence, in the picture below, for swimmers who want to splash around in a shark free environment.
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| Manly Beach - Harbourside |
It was a hot day in Sydney. Temperatures were expected to reach a scorching 43C or 109F later that day. Despite the heat, we decided to leave the beach to the Bluebottles and head home where my daughter could try out her new skates.
I must admit though, I was not sure which activity was more dangerous since she had not been on a pair of roller skates for twenty years.
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| My daughters new roller skates from Skater HQ - Manly |