'Like 10,000 razor blades': Woman stung by jellyfish at popular beach
A woman is warning beachgoers to beware of jellyfish in the water after she was stung while swimming at a popular spot.
She shared a photo of the red sting over her knee on Reddit and described the pain like “10,000 razor blades”.
The woman was swimming at a beach in Williamstown, about 10km from Melbourne’s CBD, when she said “the jellyfish came out of no where”.
“It was big, round and looked brown in the water. I couldn’t see its tentacles but I could definitely feel them,” she said.
“My mate and I were swimming away when I felt the sting of 10,000 razor blades across my knee. Lots of fun.”
One commented on the post saying there were also a number of jellyfish around Port Melbourne.
Last month one beachgoer reported “jellyfish everywhere” near St Kilda beach in Melbourne.
“I saw 10 in my first two minutes in the water. I couldn’t hack it anymore because I’m terrified of them,” the beachgoer said.
According to St John Ambulance Victoria, jellyfish stings are one of the most common injuries to occur at Australian beaches.
One in three hospitalisations from marine bites and stings were caused by venomous jellyfish.
Earlier this month more than 3000 people on Australia’s northeastern shores were stung by highly venomous jellyfish in just a few days.
Authorities closed several beaches after a massive influx of bluebottles, whose stings are notoriously painful.
Surf Life Saving Australia said a “whopping” 3,595 people had suffered painful burns after encounters with the creatures, also known as bluebottles for their transparent bluish appearance.
There are usually around 10,000 cases of bluebottle stings each year on the east coast of Australia, according to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
In April last year a woman was put in an induced coma after she was stung by a Irukandji jellyfish in Western Australia.
How to treat serious jellyfish stings
St John Ambulance says on its website people with serious jellyfish stings such as box jellyfish should call triple-0 immediately and pour vinegar over the sting for at least 30 seconds.
“Apply a cold pack if possible after flushing the sting area with vinegar,” St John said.
“Do not apply fresh water to the sting, this will cause additional nematocyst discharge from the stings.”
St John advises people who don’t have access to vinegar to remove remaining tentacles from the sting, without using their hands.
How to treat minor jellyfish stings
St John says patients should not rub the area of the sting and instead remove remaining tentacles. People can use their fingers to remove tentacles from minor stings of non-tropical jellyfish.
The affected area should be flushed with sea water and put in hot water.
A cold pack will also ease pain if there is no hot water nearby.
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