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Many folks have asked us about the dangerous creatures in the ocean and if we were afraid of being hurt. Like many subjects, there is a lot of misinformation and fear mongering about the dangers of going for a swim, but there are also some real perils!
One of these dangers is being stung by a jellyfish. In our many years of snorkeling, we only experienced this once. While snorkeling in Pemuteran on the island of Bali in Indonesia, we suddenly experienced what felt like small electric shocks on our arms and legs. It was uncomfortable enough to cause us to leave the water.
After speaking with a local diver, we learned that there were sometimes almost invisible little jellyfish off the coast off Bali that could sting you. Although we weren’t really hurt, the experience prompted us to do some research and we soon purchased rash guard shirts for each of us and a jellyfish sting preventive lotion called Safe Sea.
Safe Snorkeling in Hawaii
The Hawaiian islands are one of our favorite places to snorkel. We have done lots of snorkeling there and think it has been some of the best snorkeling in terms of seeing lots of varieties of colorful fish and beautiful coral. We were aware that there were times that box jellyfish were present in the ocean on east and south facing beaches and have seen signs posted on the beach warning swimmers away.
We recently read an online article about an increase in box jellyfish in Hawaii, published by Beat of Hawaii. It is good to have an article like this one to help you know what to look for, best times to schedule your Hawaii vacation, and how to treat stings if you are unlucky enough to get stung! You can read it here.
There are specific times when the jellyfish show up off the south coast of Hawaii. They are correlated with the full moon (usually eight days before a full moon).
The box jellyfish usually appear 8-10 days after a full moon. You can check the date of a full moon and count eight to ten days after that. Also be cautious a few days before and after the danger time.
Besides knowing these dates, it is a good idea to walk on the beach before going in the water. If you see the dead jellyfish on the beach, don’t go in and notify any lifeguards so they can post warnings. Asking locals can also be a good way to make sure there are no jellyfish present in the water.
Have fun in the sea
We have added rash guard shirts and Safe Sea, a jellyfish sting prevention lotion, to our travel gear along with sunscreen, and our masks, snorkels and fins.
These recommended products will keep you safe in the ocean from jellyfish stings and safe from the harmful rays of the sun while not damaging the coral reef.
We rely on our rash guard shirts. They keep the sun off us while we are in the water as well as on land without having to rely on sunblock. Many sun block products can be damaging to coral, a huge ecological problem, so wearing less sunscreen is always a good idea.
We purchased our stingsuits on Amazon before traveling to Australia to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. We really felt confident in the water with our bodies covered.
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