Sea Itch/Sea Lice

Newbie Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 1

I was reading on another site that the Sealice are out March-Sept and especially bad March-May. Could anyone shed some light on this? The other site made it sound like it was inevitable that a person would fall victim if they traveled during those months and swam. It did mention however that you could you certain suntan lotions to minimize the risk.

Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 7

I think they are actually little jellyfish larve. We never had a problem with them, but someone we met on the boat did and said she showered with Head and Shoulders shampoo and it cleared it up in a couple of days. Taking off your wetsuit and rinsing off right after diving is a good preventative measure, as is purging your second stage regulator right over your head just before surfacing.

- Dave

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 4:43 pm Post subject: Celtsin Blue

Mywife got that one year. Celtsin Blue cleared it right up.

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 5:31 pm Post subject: Thimble Jellies and sea itch

Thimble jellies are what you need to look for to avoid sea itch.

We go in April every year and have never had a year when we didn't see at times thousands, and at other times sporadic ones.

They are a little smaller than a Rolo candy. I had a very good picture of them in a jar [son caught them last year so we could get a closer look] and can't find the thing now.

We have yet to have trouble with the jellies. If we see them on one side of the island, we trek on over to another side. Seems to us, when they were at the Rum Point area, we made a run to Eden Rock and Govenors Beach and had no problems, and vice versa.

We do not, however swim amongst them. The guy who was the tour guide of our Nautilus dive said he'd lived there all his life, and only swam amongst them once, and that was plenty, thank you very much. He never did it again!

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:23 pm Post subject: mothers day to fathers day

is the old adage about when they're "oot and aboot".

they are jellyfish larvae, and they tend to be invisble. when your skin dries, they burrow into it because it's moist, so they dont die, and then your body rejects them and it get inflamed where they are..

it itches like the devil himself is in your skin Smile

I never got it the first couple years I was here, but since then, I've gotten "hit" once or twice a year, even with "precautions":

when you get out of the water, rinse and rinse good. pay particular attention to the places that stay wettest the longest. Guys: waistband of your trunks. Girls: anywhere your bathing suit touches you. Some people I've known swear by rubbing down with baby oil BEFORE the dive, or some suntan OIL, others (me included) get a bottle of hibiscrub antimicrobial soap and give yourself a good sudsing before rinsing off after a dive.

if you do get a hit, hot water tends to stop the itching for awhile, as does hitting the are with a hairdryer to the point of almost-burning yourself. Smile

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:01 am Post subject: Sea Itch

I was thinking that this might be a good thing to discuss. I had never heard of "sea itch" before - and am no expert. I know that Joe will pop in here!!!!! Or hope he will. Wish I would have known about s/i a couple years back, however.

While out in the water, just playing around, I started to jerk and itch!!!!! Owie!!!!!!! :o Everything that was covered by fabric was itching. David had not-a-problem! I was digging and digging and noticing some red welts.

We got back to our condo and the first thing I did was to climb into the shower, in my suit, under the "safe" hot water!!!!! OWIE - sting again!!!!! I'm jumpong around like a red spotted frog, when David comes in to see what all the comotion was. <Well, you know guys......>

Here is what I discovered:

Sea Itch, what is it and when can I get it?

Sea Itch is caused by the larvae of the thimble jellyfish (sea lice) and is an itchy red rash, which affects exposed areas of skin. It can occur any time around during April/May. The locals say that it can occur anytime from Mothers Day to Fathers Day. At these times it is best to wear a skin or a

wetsuit and cover exposed skin with suntan oil. If you get stung, the standard treatment consist of application of steroid creams to the skin and taking antihistamine tablets. Alternative remedies include calamine lotion, rubbing alcohol, ammonia spray and vinegar.

Since it is the first of May - and there could be lots of newbies in Cayman, I thought I would share this little story. You can get a dandy little vial of gel at the drug store that will make your sea itch tolerable - and pouf, in a coupla days - it's is gone!

Just one of those things you wanna know!!!!!!!!!!! Ter'e

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:21 am Post subject:

Thanks Tere.......I didn't think to remind people of that......when we go in late June the problem is virtually non-existant.........for the newbies, if you go on a snorkel excursion, usually the guys running the boat will know where the problem areas are...........just go to another spot. Also, don't think this is much of an issue around the 7MB area, right?

Celine

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:27 am Post subject:

We are always on the island in April, so we've always...yes, always run into thimble jellies.

We find that if we see them on the north side, we will travel to do our 'water thing' to the other side of the island.

This is a very good picture of one, they are about the size of a rolo candy [they seemed much smaller this year though!]

Vinegar always seems to work for those I've talked to who used it as well as a little benadryl.

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:30 am Post subject:

stunning photo! Celine

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 9:22 am Post subject:

I've never had a problem with sea itch, but there is one good thing about thimble jellyfish... Turtles love to eat them, so when they're around you have a good chance of spotting a turtle... (We need a turtle emoticon...)

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 9:50 am Post subject:

Paul - I'll work on finding more emoticons (turtles and divers) after my deadline. Wink

The thimble jellyfish sting the turtles ever so mildly when they are being eaten. It is believed that the turtles find the little sting pleasantly stimulating much in the same way people have acquired a fondness for hot sauce.

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 11:54 am Post subject:

that's FUNNY about the turtles! Karen.......that wasn't the stunning photo I saw, why did you take it out? I thought it was stock photography, but you weren't taking credit for it or anything....so just wondered

Celine

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 2:06 pm Post subject:

Hmmmm...I have had a rash and itch like the rest of you are describing, but mine always occured after snorkeling in front of Plantation Village and Treasure Island, and it was always in late February or early March, which is when we go every year. Usually, it seemed that mostly the women were afflicted with this, and always on the skin under our bathing suits. Our suits also would have lots of little red flecks on the inside of the fabric. We never really figured out what caused it, but we always thought that it usually happened not long after a storm, like a Norwester, when the surf was especially stirred up.

Maybe they were the jelly fish larvae like you describe, but we never saw thimble jellyfish or anything.......if we saw anything, it was little red specks floating in the water.......

I know none of this makes sense.......it's cause we never did and still don't know what was causing it. All we knew, was that it wasn't fun and bothered me sometimes enough to cause a fever!

I've never had it diving....only snorkeling. We always thought it was because the wet suits kept the organisms out, and the bathing suits gave them easy access.....if you know what I mean Wink

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 2:16 pm Post subject:

Took it out after seeing a very small copyright in the lower left.

Work in a library...copyright infringement is a HUGE no-no! Wink

Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 2:40 pm Post subject:

I've heard Selsun Blue Shampoo helps get rid of it. Wink

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