Anybody noticed a proliferation of differant jellies around perf this season?
Have been pretty lucky myself (and always wear a long sleeve rashie, which helps a tad) but have seen some nasty and unusual results.
After sesh on Thursday, during which i scored a couple of typical sea wasp type stings that fade quickly, I had a squiz at a couple of tres nasty stings that seemed from very differant jellies. One bloke had the classic long (20cm) very red and swollen welt but another bloke had a mass of what looked like individual welts that clustered all over his bicep. Haven't seen anything like that before.
The bloke with the single welt said he saw some small clear jellies with a handful of tenticles ala Irukandji. WTF!?! Funny thing was another non kiter bloke got stung at the beach the week before and told me the same thing, he thought they were Irukandji also. Unlikely as although extremely painful and long lasting they didn't need medical attention.
Whoah! Whilst looking for an image I stumbled accross this: www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/deadly-jellyfish-on-the-way-south/news-story/6f76bffa2e3f6bab4facc1d2237458fd
Surely they wouldn't travel so far down to Perf - even with the weird weather patterns we have been having?
In that link they quote Jamie Seymour, he would be the number one Box Jelly Fish expert, if he says the Irukandji are heading south then they are.
I agree Funky, I doubt the stings in Perth would be from Irukandji, the sting from which is extremely painful, you don't walk away from one of them and say **** that hurt. I also doubt they're heading to Perth any time soon, the water is still too cold 
The small jellyfish which are shown in the picture above are just the standard all garden variety stingers which turn up every year about this time.
They seem to congregate in groups so when you are swimming along you tend to run into a whole flotilla of them, not just one.
They disappear around late March.
They hurt a bit if your skin is sensitive but unless you are allergic to such things the effect is only half an hour or so.
Putting vinegar on the sting fixes it.
Some surf clubs have a spray bottle on hand for such use.
The big white ones and the big brown ones are harmless unless someone throws them in your eyes, you know, the way kids do.
The only jellyfish which can be serious are the bluebottle jellyfish, which we don't usually get here in summer. You see them blown up on the beach in winter.
They can blow down here with winter storms.
They can hurt like hell.
people said sydney was too cold for box jellies too, but theyve washed in before. met a kid stung by one years ago. messy.
also the mrs got stung by a jelly similar to the one in the pic about 10 years ago and left a scar like a thick piano wire melted into her arm.
she worked at fisheries nsw at the time and the specialist ruled out the nasty ones. id hate to cop a bad one.
