Jomtien Beach stinging jellyfish

[Guderian]

Just a heads-up. With the beaches open again but the swimming pools still closed (in my village, anyway), I've been swimming in the sea at Jomtien lately. The last two days I've collided with a stinging jellyfish while swimming on both days. The first one wasn't too bad, the stinging was gone in around an hour, but the one yesterday was much nastier and was still painful and annoying when I went to bed. I wear a rash shirt while swimming for the UV50 protection, but it's short-sleeved and it was on my arms that I got stung both times (I swim front-crawl). My Thai friend says that it's jellyfish season now, and the fact that the sea's warmer than a bowl of soup probably encourages them too. That's me finished with swimming in the sea for the time being, anyway. These two painful encounters were in the very large swimming area near the temple by Soi Wat Bun and Soi Welcome, but I can't imagine any reason why the wretched creatures wouldn't be all along the beach, so beware if you fancy a dip in the briny. Maybe affecting Pattaya Beach too, I don't know.

[champers]

First it was a snake, now jellyfish. Will we ever see the dolphins that Pattaya is supposedly famous for?

[1FinickyOne]

41 minutes ago, Guderian said:

beware if you fancy a dip in the briny

Yeech. That's awful... But what about all the sewage there? 

[Howard1]

Seems like the beginning of rain season is the start of the stinging jelly fish and sea lice? you can't even see some of them!

[angy]

I was burned by jelly fish yesterday on both legs on Wongamat beach, don't appreciate it but damage not severe like years ago when in HuayHin I got big injuries at my hand

[Guderian]

I had a stroll along the Dongtan Beach footpath this afternoon, a couple of km north of where I was yesterday, and there were some farangs and Thais in the sea, but in 30 or so minutes of wandering along down there I didn't see any of them clutching their limbs in agony. Does anybody know about jellyfish habits, like are there certain times of the day or states of the tide that they prefer to be out stinging swimmers?

[davidhen]

Approximately 2 months ago, I was stung on the upper thigh, whilst in the water opposite Soi 5 Jomtien. The stings didn't subside properly for several days, and the marks stayed evident for about a month.

[Guderian]

3 hours ago, davidhen said:

Approximately 2 months ago, I was stung on the upper thigh, whilst in the water opposite Soi 5 Jomtien. The stings didn't subside properly for several days, and the marks stayed evident for about a month.

 

Ouch! That's much worse than my two sets of stings.

[cryo]

On 6/6/2021 at 10:49 AM, Guderian said:

I had a stroll along the Dongtan Beach footpath this afternoon, a couple of km north of where I was yesterday, and there were some farangs and Thais in the sea, but in 30 or so minutes of wandering along down there I didn't see any of them clutching their limbs in agony. Does anybody know about jellyfish habits, like are there certain times of the day or states of the tide that they prefer to be out stinging swimmers?

Prolonged onshore wind generally brings them in but tides also play a part and many are seasonal with the rains.

[Lumbini]

Thanks for starting this thread …. I do long open water swims daily and got stung a week ago and twice yesterday . I usually gauge the situation on if I see jellyfish on the beach but both days I got stung saw none but still got stung so it’s time to move to the pool for a few months .

Edited June 7, 2021 by Lumbini

[Guderian]

8 hours ago, Lumbini said:

Thanks for starting this thread …. I do long open water swims daily and got stung a week ago and twice yesterday . I usually gauge the situation on if I see jellyfish on the beach but both days I got stung saw none but still got stung so it’s time to move to the pool for a few months .

 

Do you mind me asking where exactly you were swimming?

 

I guess that most jellyfish are floaters and so tend to go where the waves and currents carry them. That means if there's a lot of them around the area I was swimming, near Soi Wat Bun, then they'll be  everywhere along the beach. I also wonder, though, if they might not be attracted to certain areas by a food source there, which would lead to a local concentration but elsewhere along the beach they'd be few and far between?

Edited June 8, 2021 by Guderian

[jomtienisgood]

On 6/6/2021 at 3:45 PM, champers said:

First it was a snake, now jellyfish. Will we ever see the dolphins that Pattaya is supposedly famous for?

The never ending story, Covid 19 - beaches closed, now open- snakes, jelly fish and all the bars still closed and no ladies to re-comfort us. What's next??? ????????????

[tau152]

Two good blogs to read  about Thailand’s jeljyfish - (note the info on the ‘box jellyfish)

https://m.dw.com/en/tourists-stung-by-poisonous-jellyfish-in-thailand/a-42654407

 

https://www.fodors.com/world/asia/thailand/experiences/news/dont-let-this-underwater-monster-ruin-your-vacation

[Guderian]

I managed a jellyfish-free swim this afternoon on Dongtan Beach, and very pleasant it was too. The tide was coming in and there's a fairly heavy sea so a lot of large breaking waves. My guess is that jellyfish don't want to be anywhere near the beach in conditions like that or they risk getting washed ashore. The large waves with lots of breakers isn't much use for swimming, but it was good fun all the same. Normally I try to keep as far away from other people as I can so I can swim without worrying about colliding with them, but this time I stayed close to the half-dozen or so people who were also in the sea at that spot. I asked a couple of the Pattaya City lifeguards if there were stinging jellyfish in the sea there, but they just looked blank. And another bonus, I've learnt who to say something new in Thai: jellyfish = maeng-gru-proon.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, jomtienisgood said:

The never ending story, Covid 19 - beaches closed, now open- snakes, jelly fish and all the bars still closed and no ladies to re-comfort us. What's next??? ????????????

Beaches are open, and now complaints of jelly fish and snakes... some people love to complain.

[thailandusauk]

hello, do you know where to buy a kind if full body suit that could protect from touching anything in the sea ?

Kind of diving suit but not as thick ? do you know how to call it and where to buy it ?

thanks.

[Barefoot]

At low tide this morning about 10:30AM, I walked along the surf from the Jomtien police station to Cafe Le Mar and back, and I saw at least 30 jellyfish stranded on the sand, so they are indeed out and about.

Edited June 8, 2021 by Barefoot
typo

[Guderian]

1 hour ago, thailandusauk said:

hello, do you know where to buy a kind if full body suit that could protect from touching anything in the sea ?

Kind of diving suit but not as thick ? do you know how to call it and where to buy it ?

thanks.

 

Short of a wet suit, a rash suit is probably the best thing you can buy, something like this one:

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/divesail-upf50-lycra-swim-wet-suit-dive-skin-snorkeling-surf-anti-skid-full-body-rash-guard-for-men-women-one-piece-wetsuit-i1866276538-s5755872274.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.10.febcabd6mtnJs1&search=1&freeshipping=1

 

They also make jellyfish repellents but I haven't seen them here.

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, thailandusauk said:

hello, do you know where to buy a kind if full body suit that could protect from touching anything in the sea ?

Kind of diving suit but not as thick ? do you know how to call it and where to buy it ?

thanks.

I bought it at Lazada

[Ireland32]

Jomtien Beach was so Choppy today , I was surprised 

[jacko45k]

11 hours ago, Ireland32 said:

Jomtien Beach was so Choppy today , I was surprised 

It was very windy yesterday.... hardly surprising.

[Stargeezr]

Low season has more than weather reasons for being low season.   Just sayng.

  One thing I like about Phuket  was the swimming conditions at Kata, and Karon 

and likely Patong beaches were the rather calmer waves on the lee side of Phuket.

  Geezer

[DUNROAMIN]

15 hours ago, jomtienisgood said:

The never ending story, Covid 19 - beaches closed, now open- snakes, jelly fish and all the bars still closed and no ladies to re-comfort us. What's next??? ????????????

7/11 runs out of beer.????????

[Road Warrior]

snake 1st then jelly fish, maybe sharks next !!!

[champers]

Burapha University in Bang Saen has a marine life museum with a big display devoted to jellyfish. I don't know if it is open now but is well worth a look when it is. 

I can't remember cost of admission; if any; but I wasn't stung when I visited????.