Tourists warned of box jellyfish at Surat Thani’s popular islands

[webfact]

Tourists warned of box jellyfish at Surat Thani’s popular islands

By The Nation

 

Photo credit: Thailandsnakes.com

 

Officials have put up signs to warn tourists of possible attacks by box jellyfish at the beaches on three popular islands in Surat Thani.

 

Thanyaporn Poolsawat, a fishery academic of the Middle Gulf of Thailand Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Centre, said the centre has frequently observed box jellyfish off the coasts of Koh Samui, Koh Pha-Ngan, and Koh Tao from July to October.

 

She said officials have put up warning signs at all beaches on the three islands and provided bottles of vinegar next to the signs for tourists to use in the event they are stung by a box jellyfish.

 

She said pouring vinegar over the sting for 30 seconds can prevent the venom from spreading further into the body.

 

The centre has seen increasing numbers of jellyfish off the three islands during this period each year.

 

Thanyaporn said the box jellyfish found in Thai seas are as deadly as those in Australia but the box jellyfish in Thailand are larger in size so their tentacles are very long and have many cnidocytes or stinging cells, thus spreading more venom to victims.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373613

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-25

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[limbos]

Box jellyfish don't attack, as is mentioned in this article. You kinda bump in to the.

[sammieuk1]

Where is that Dr to claim no box jelly's here only sharp rocks???? 

[RotBenz8888]

Now i understand what Bite vinegar is for.

[flyingtlger]

No worries, hardly no tourist with the baht been too strong and Immigrations making so difficult to enter the country and/or stay for any extended time!!!!????

[grumbleweed]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

and provided bottles of vinegar next to the signs for tourists to use in the event they are stung by a box jellyfish.

Anything for stings received in the bars, taxis and national parks?

[Tropposurfer]

Box Jellyfish (Cuboza family - a few species in this genus) do indeed attack, they swim as well as moving in tidal currents.

When they come into contact with prey their stinging tentacles move towards the pray and encircle it ... So they do attack.

The stings from this species are extremely painful, indeed perhaps the most painful of all jellyfish stings.

Box Jellyfish (all the species), If stung by sufficient numbers of the barb-like stinging cells can kill.

[mok199]

Apparently officials called all 9 tourists and warned them individually...

[elcaro]

4 hours ago, mok199 said:

Apparently officials called all 9 tourists and warned them individually...

Thanks to tm30 they knew exactly where to go and warn them.

[emptypockets]

6 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

Box Jellyfish (Cuboza family - a few species in this genus) do indeed attack, they swim as well as moving in tidal currents.

When they come into contact with prey their stinging tentacles move towards the pray and encircle it ... So they do attack.

The stings from this species are extremely painful, indeed perhaps the most painful of all jellyfish stings.

Box Jellyfish (all the species), If stung by sufficient numbers of the barb-like stinging cells can kill.

Too right.  Google Chironex fleckeri.... Nasty bit of gear.  Killed many people.  The most venomous creature on the planet according to some experts. Not all that big either,  a huge one would be six inches in diameter.  Much smaller ones can kill rapidly. 

[Lucius verus]

Everything in Thailand is hell bent on attacking foreigners.

You can't escape it.