German tourist dies from box jellyfish attack on Samui

[limbos]

"They were given primary care by rescue workers of Samui municipal rescue centre with vinegar to relieve their pains," - this is deeply disturbing as that is NOT what the vinegar is for....let's hope this is bad reporting and not bad training as regards the primary carers.

Were there signs on the beach and were there vinegar stations?

This is one of the most popular beaches in Thailand, in an area that is well within the region of box jellies - in Oz, there would be nets and the season clearly demarcated.

The more we hear of box jellies in Thailand, the more I'm reminded of the plot of "Jaws 1"

"They were given primary care by rescue workers of Samui municipal rescue centre with vinegar to relieve their pains, and later rushed to Bangkok Samui hospital."

And from later IN THE SAME ARTICLE!!! :-

"Experts say that the only treatment for box jellyfish is common vinegar. The vinegar does nothing to dull the pain but it does combat the toxicity. Without vinegar, the jellyfish stings continue to attack and destroy the victim’s flesh."

As a previous poster said, the safety of tourists does not appear to be the main concern - the main concern seems to be to make sure that tourists are not scared away - there are few enough of them as it is in spite of official figures to the contrary!

Most journalists don't do good research, in this case, vinegar is the best line of defense/help somebody can receive at the scene of the accident, but VINEGAR DOES NOT RELIEVE THE PAIN. It will stop the venom in the tentacles from keeping firing off.

I'm a diver and over the years, if there's an accident, the diver in question who had the accident, always dived on oxygen, according to the journalist (and it doesn't matter what language or country this is written in), well here's some news for you, divers don't dive with oxygen but with standard normal air, the same air that you breathe here at the surface.

Oxygen becomes toxic at depths exceeding 5 meters. So much for accurate reporting on dive accidents. Same or similar in this article.

[johndudorn]

"They were given primary care by rescue workers of Samui municipal rescue centre with vinegar to relieve their pains," - this is deeply disturbing as that is NOT what the vinegar is for....let's hope this is bad reporting and not bad training as regards the primary carers.

Were there signs on the beach and were there vinegar stations?

This is one of the most popular beaches in Thailand, in an area that is well within the region of box jellies - in Oz, there would be nets and the season clearly demarcated.

The more we hear of box jellies in Thailand, the more I'm reminded of the plot of "Jaws 1"

Once a tentacle of the box jellyfish adheres to skin, it pumps nematocysts with venom into the skin, causing the sting and agonizing pain. Flushing with vinegar is used to deactivate undischarged nematocysts to prevent the release of additional venom. A 2014 study reported that vinegar also increased the amount of venom released from already-discharged nematocysts; however, this study has been criticized on methodological grounds

[limbos]

It seems there's a lot of misinformation floating around in this thread. Unfortunately I was involved in a box jelly fish incident on Chaweng Beach some 13 years ago, and ever since I've been involved in box jelly fish awareness around Koh Samui, first loosely and from a distance, but over the years, when I heard from more and more cases and met with a Thai work group, sponsored by the Thai government, I got more and more involved in box jelly awareness on Koh Samui.

On my Samui weather blog and my Samui IDC diving blog ((google it, links are not allowed) there's plenty of info to be found that I provided over the years and what I tried to achieve. There have been several meetings with the THA (Thai Hotel Association) and one of the Thai experts has done training for local hotel staff on the island last year. The THA is trying to set up more training for early next year, before this incident happened. Possibly things get speeded up now. It's good to see and know that some of the gm's/hotels are very engaged in this matter but there's always room for improvement and get more gm's onboard.

The Thai experts will be visiting Samui tomorrow and the following day and will investigate.

In short; in general there's not enough done on Samui beaches by most of the hotels and the local government, despite hard work by some people on the island (this is not unique for Samui, at many locations it takes a sad event like we have now on Samui, before things change). No signs or very limited signs and information are available on beaches around the island, sometimes there are vinegar bottles but no signs and sometimes/very often, there's no vinegar and there are no signs. There are however also hotels that have information about box jelly fish in the guest rooms, have signs on the beaches and have vinegar poles. These are few though.

Many preventive solutions have been offered and some people on the island are very supportive but it takes more to get things changed. The Thai work group has visited Samui various times, as recent as two months ago and is trying to set up a box jelly network for Samui.

Probably the recent sad death of this young German girl will speed things up and the willingness to help and to do things. I can only hope so. Just like it did change attitudes on Koh Phangan when a young 5 year old French boy dead last year and when this year in August a young Thai woman died.

Research has shown that being open to the fact that box jelly fish is around and that measures are taken to protect the guests is actually received very positively. To the best of my knowledge, the last couple of years nothing has been tried to been brushed under a carpet, plenty of information about incidents in Thailand is available.

The season for the box jelly fish in Thailand is roughly from August to January. They can appear all year round though. The box jelly fish doesn't 'attack', it swims around and people swim into it. Box jelly fish don't go after' somebody. Encounters are possible all day long, during day and night time. The recent two deathly incidents happened at night, many other incidents happen during day time.

Protection can be among others a net on the beach, preventing bigger species of box jelly fish from entering, signs warning for box jelly and what to do, readily and easily available and plenty of vinegar (will stop the tentacles from firing but will not relieve the pain) and wear protective suits, stinger suits or shirts with long sleeves and pants like clothing on your legs.

The chances of actually getting stung in Thailand by box jelly fish are slim, very slim, but it's important to be aware and knowing what to do. A course where you learn how to do CPR might be an option.

IN CASE OF A BOX JELLYFISH STING:

1. Begin CPR if required and call for medical assistance

2. Immediately pour vinegar over sting area for at least 30 seconds

3. After using the vinegar, place cold packs or ice on the wound to ease the pain and reduce skin damage

4. Seek medical attention

Edited October 7, 2015 by limbos

[Loeilad]

Lifeguards determined years ago the box jellyfish cycle and it looks like it pertains to Thailand as this month the dates at 6-7-8 - Google hawaii jellyfish calendar

sadly not in Thailand. there has been research but the life cycle and seasons ae not confirmed. The other thing is they may be a different species or subspecies, so you can't just apply the Aussie or Hawaiian behaviours and cycles.

It's not a job for lifeguards, it's a job for scientists/marine biologists.

[Loeilad]

Kinda dull headline "bix jellyfish attack" like a jellyfish would purposedly swim towards a person and attack her...

"Believed to..." it could also have ben a Man-of-War jellyfish, who knows?

West coast seems to be safe when looking at disribution maps...

RIP to the victim and fast recovery to the 2nd swimmer. Tragic, but this kind of stuff happens every day all over the world. More people get killed while bowling or even changing light bulbs at home.

THe box jelly can swim at about 3 knots and choose direction it can chase prey and it can see....it isn't actually a standard jellyfish.

[Loeilad]

This is really tragic. RIP

But it's the second time that the victim get stung swimming in the dark. Does anyone know if the box jellyfish goes out mostly at night?

Maybe there should be signs warning people not to go swimming after dark as you cannot see what's in the water?

don't think it makes a lot of difference....they may go deeper during daylight?

[limbos]

Lifeguards determined years ago the box jellyfish cycle and it looks like it pertains to Thailand as this month the dates at 6-7-8 - Google hawaii jellyfish calendar

sadly not in Thailand. there has been research but the life cycle and seasons ae not confirmed. The other thing is they may be a different species or subspecies, so you can't just apply the Aussie or Hawaiian behaviours and cycles.

It's not a job for lifeguards, it's a job for scientists/marine biologists.

The box jelly fish in the Gulf of Thailand may indeed be a different species, a species not very well researched yet.

[pbonline]

This is really tragic. RIP

But it's the second time that the victim get stung swimming in the dark. Does anyone know if the box jellyfish goes out mostly at night?

Maybe there should be signs warning people not to go swimming after dark as you cannot see what's in the water?

Has nothing to do with the time of day, the jellyfish comes with the tide so don't swim when the tide is incoming.

[TDCNINJA]

I have been a fitness client at Lamai Fitness since Aug 6 and have swam at Lamai Beach every Tuesday & Thursday morning as part of our fitness regime. It has been instrumental in my large and rapid weight loss.

Having said that, yesterday morning, beginning at 7AM, my instructor, three classmates and myself were all stung various times during our ocean swim. Obviously we were not stung by box jelly fish but were stung by less poisonous varieties of jellyfish. I was struck twice in the left arm but continued until my required distance was met.

It is a very strange feeling to know that I swam on the same beach as the lady who passed away, was stung, but somehow luck was with me.

I have come to love swimming in the ocean in Lamai.

I WILL NOT be swimming in the ocean anymore in Thailand. In that, I mean EVER.

Fitness is not worth dying for. I'll swim in a pool from now on.

Edited October 7, 2015 by TDCNINJA

[Loeilad]

Is there a seasonal trend to box jellyfish incursions? I've swam many times on this beach but November - April. .

In Oz they are quite seasonal, but as yet I haven't seen evidence to suggest that is the case here.

In Oz the Box jellies spawn in estuaries largely at a particular time of year and then swim/drift/float out along the coast. In Qld it is standard practice to put nets around the beaches especially November to May (the wet) but this doesn't mean they aren't around all year.

[maccastime]

To loeilad I am confused with your post.u state they should not have used vinegar? Then u say we're there vinegar stations? So what is the correct treatment

[Loeilad]

I see the cynical TV brigade are out in force on this one!

Those pesky tour operators and business owners are conspiring to exspose their valued customers in the persuit of a few extra Baht, haven't we heard all this before?

It is not unusual for Box Jellyfish to be in Thai waters at this time of the year, yes signage would be preferrable but lets be honest, how many people would read tham and act on it?

For the few negative people who weren't told about the hazard, I am sure there were many more that were told.

There are many hazards out there in the open water, there will always be a chance of a tragedy like this. It's heart breaking for this young woman's family and friends, to lose a loved one like this would be horrendous but is anyone actually to blame?

Commiserations and condolences to her family and friends...

I think you need to check out what other countries in the Box Jelly regions do......they take the matter seriously. ...and as yet there is no "time of year" identified for Box Jellies around Thailand.

[limbos]

To loeilad I am confused with your post.u state they should not have used vinegar? Then u say we're there vinegar stations? So what is the correct treatment

Vinegar is the correct treatment at the scene of the incident, after that the victim should be transported to a hospital asap for further treatment and painkillers.

[maccastime]

Okay thanx

[pbonline]

Protection can be among others a net on the beach, preventing bigger species of box jelly fish from entering, signs warning for box jelly and what to do, readily and easily available and plenty of vinegar (will stop the tentacles from firing but will not relieve the pain) and wear protective suits, stinger suits or shirts with long sleeves and pants like clothing on your legs.

Is a thin shirt as an t-shirt actually protecting against sting from jellyfish?

[Loeilad]

So sorry to hear this sad news.

I'm not saying this would have saved this girl's life, but here's what I do to neutralize the poison in jellyfish stings and insect stings (e.g., bees, wasps, hornets, etc.).

I topically apply either bruised papaya tree leaves, or the pulped flesh of green (unripe) papaya fruit, or meat tenderizer. The leaves and green fruit are high in the protein-digesting enzyme papain, and meat tenderizer is mostly pure papain which is derived from the papaya tree.

Jellyfish and insect venoms are made mostly of protein, and when papain comes into contact with those venoms they're rendered harmless.

A bottle of meat tenderizer is commonly found in the kits of EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), which they use to tread venomous stings. [/size]

Bruised papaya leaf and green papaya fruit have also traditionally been applied to infected wounds or ulcerations to enzymatically debride dead and festering tissue.

Bruised papaya leaves are also used to tenderize raw meats. Wrap the bruised leaf around the meat or fish and let it sit for 1 or 2 hours before cooking.

In university my biology teacher, who was doing his PhD research on jellyfish, kept several bottles of Adolph's Meat Tenderizer on his lab benches to tread the inevitable stings.

Here in Thailand my wife prepares almost daily som tam salad which many of you know. For those who don't, it's made from shredded green papaya fruit flesh, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, tomato and peanuts ... and is often garnished with fresh boa bok (Centella asiatica) and other raw greens. (And there are many variations.) It's the perfect, digestive-enzyme-rich salad to enhance digestion. Especially when eating high-protein foods like fish, shrimp, beef, pork, chicken, tofu, etc.

Ripe papaya covered with lime juice is also the perfect low-calorie desert. However, the ripe fruit contains no papain because as the papaya fruit ripens it contains less and less papain enzyme.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Hippocrates

with all due respect - and that is very little - your post is nonsense. Firstly Box jellies aren't "normal" jellyfish, secondly all venoms are not the same and operate in different ways.....you don't seem to have the first idea of how a BJ delivers its venom or how it works on the blood.

Crap like yours is the kind of advice that gets people killed after they've had a box jelly attack because some idiot decides he knows better than the dozens of scientists working on this all over the world....

[khunPer]

DO NOT use vinegar on bow jellyfish it makes things even worse !

That is absolutely nonsense, where do you get that ill informed information from?

In case you're referring to research done recently in Australia, here's the answer to that from Dr. Lisa Gershwin, box jelly fish researcher;

"There were several things questionable about the research, in no particular order:

The authors forced nematocyst discharge with an electrical current. The nematocysts fired into a membrane, then venom was collected under the membrane, then vinegar was applied to the tentacles, then they collected venom again from under the membrane. They found that 60% more venom was obtained in the second round. They therefore concluded that the vinegar was causing vinegar to come out of the already discharged nematocysts.

First, There is no evidence that demonstrates that electrocuted tentacles behave like natural stings. In particular, it seems more likely that natural stings leave little venom behind, whereas electrocuted tentacles are likely to cause abortive firing, or incomplete firing, thus quite possibly leaving some venom behind. If this is the case, then the model does not represent real stings.

Second, their experimental design did not control for venom initially discharged into the membrane or pooled above the membrane, only what came through with each wash. Therefore it may be that some venom was lodged in or above the membrane from the initial electrocution, and was subsequently recovered by the second wash, giving misleading conclusions.

Third, the post-vinegar recovery was of very low venom potency, suggesting that it was diluted, supporting the idea that the venom came from in or above the membrane, not from secondary discharge. In this case, vinegar would be a better solvent than originally realised, and therefore an even better first aid option.

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the percentages tell the whole story. The authors estimated that 20-30% of nematocysts fire initially (I estimate 10-20%, but the difference doesn't matter for this argument). So 60% of 20-30% is about 10-15% additional venom load. But even if their hypothesis turns out to be entirely correct, that still leaves the other 70-80% of nematocysts armed and dangerous. It's that 70-80% that you want to disable, not the 10-15%. So if vinegar causes 10-15% more but it also causes 70-80% less, then by using vinegar you're still some 60-70% better off to use vinegar. Sorry my math is probably not so good this time of night (2am), but you get the idea hopefully.

Finally, much of the media quoted one of the authors of the study as saying that they found that vinegar makes stings worse. That's not true -- that's not what they found. They didn't test stings. They tested electrocuted tentacles in a lab. But their incomplete procedures even make what they did find debatable. "

Vinegar is at this moment the best solution for box jelly stings

There has been other treads about vinegar and Box Jelly Fish with a number of links to other sites - "limbos" is correct, vinegar is the best solution at the moment...

[samuijimmy]

There are a number signs around Samui about Jellyfish in general .... one on Chawang Beach, another near Maenam Lomprayah ferry terminal...I can't remember off hand but seen a few more..... (obviously there could be more)

Sadly though how can they check as to whether or not they are in any particular area until something actually happens ?

In other previous discussions on this I have posted images and locations...

Edited October 7, 2015 by samuijimmy

[Loeilad]

Seems a lot of people are happily assuming a jellyfish is a jellyfish is a jellyfish.

You're in the tropics now boys and things are a little different here.

If you want to live longer obey the cardinal rules - no swimming in the wet season and no swimming in calm water.

Box jellies avoid rough water or surf and tend to move out of the creeks into more open water during the wet season.

Trust me, a Portuguese man'o'war or some other slightly annoying stinger from the "old country" simply isn't in the same league as chironex fleckeri which is the most venomous of the box jellyfish - and one of the most venomous animals on the planet.

Death can follow rapidly from a decent encounter.

I know from first hand experience that vinegar doesn't take the pain away..it's purpose is to stop any unfired nodes from releasing venom which they will do readily (even when the tentacle is broken off) especially if people use the old remedy of rubbing the area with sand,

Use quack treatments at your peril.

The sting marks on the young lady are a little unusual as c.fleckeri tend to be more ladderlike in marking.

Agreed - many posts indicate a profound ignorance of the difference between a Box Jelly and other jellyfish. They are NOT the same....there are of course also several species of box jelly and they aren't all deadly......wait until we find the irukandji around here - size of your thumb, but still deadly

[Loeilad]

DO NOT use vinegar on bow jellyfish it makes things even worse !

That is absolutely nonsense, where do you get that ill informed information from?

In case you're referring to research done recently in Australia, here's the answer to that from Dr. Lisa Gershwin, box jelly fish researcher;

"There were several things questionable about the research, in no particular order:

The authors forced nematocyst discharge with an electrical current. The nematocysts fired into a membrane, then venom was collected under the membrane, then vinegar was applied to the tentacles, then they collected venom again from under the membrane. They found that 60% more venom was obtained in the second round. They therefore concluded that the vinegar was causing vinegar to come out of the already discharged nematocysts.

First, There is no evidence that demonstrates that electrocuted tentacles behave like natural stings. In particular, it seems more likely that natural stings leave little venom behind, whereas electrocuted tentacles are likely to cause abortive firing, or incomplete firing, thus quite possibly leaving some venom behind. If this is the case, then the model does not represent real stings.

Second, their experimental design did not control for venom initially discharged into the membrane or pooled above the membrane, only what came through with each wash. Therefore it may be that some venom was lodged in or above the membrane from the initial electrocution, and was subsequently recovered by the second wash, giving misleading conclusions.

Third, the post-vinegar recovery was of very low venom potency, suggesting that it was diluted, supporting the idea that the venom came from in or above the membrane, not from secondary discharge. In this case, vinegar would be a better solvent than originally realised, and therefore an even better first aid option.

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the percentages tell the whole story. The authors estimated that 20-30% of nematocysts fire initially (I estimate 10-20%, but the difference doesn't matter for this argument). So 60% of 20-30% is about 10-15% additional venom load. But even if their hypothesis turns out to be entirely correct, that still leaves the other 70-80% of nematocysts armed and dangerous. It's that 70-80% that you want to disable, not the 10-15%. So if vinegar causes 10-15% more but it also causes 70-80% less, then by using vinegar you're still some 60-70% better off to use vinegar. Sorry my math is probably not so good this time of night (2am), but you get the idea hopefully.

Finally, much of the media quoted one of the authors of the study as saying that they found that vinegar makes stings worse. That's not true -- that's not what they found. They didn't test stings. They tested electrocuted tentacles in a lab. But their incomplete procedures even make what they did find debatable. "

Vinegar is at this moment the best solution for box jelly stings

I read this from James Cook Uni and read Lisa's revioew.....it is disappointing but it seems that the no vinegar results were either over reported or just plain wrong. At present just about the only primary care advice is STILL to apply vinegar to paralyse the envenoming mechanism before removing the tentacles.

If some nit tries something else get him/her away from the victim ASAP!

[Loeilad]

Protection can be among others a net on the beach, preventing bigger species of box jelly fish from entering, signs warning for box jelly and what to do, readily and easily available and plenty of vinegar (will stop the tentacles from firing but will not relieve the pain) and wear protective suits, stinger suits or shirts with long sleeves and pants like clothing on your legs.

Is a thin shirt as an t-shirt actually protecting against sting from jellyfish?

Probably - in Oz before stinger suits, people would wear ladies tights both as leg and top protection. It looked a bit strange seeing a big butch Aussie entering the water dressed in panty-hose but that thin layer was enough to stop the stings from penetrating the skin.

It might also explain the apparent/ possible lack of fatalities before tourism as most Thai people would enter the water fully clothed.

I usually wear a rash vest at least - it also protects me from the sun.

[Loeilad]

Queensland Australia have a very serious problem with Box Jelly Fish stings at certain times of the year. The treatment always recommended and used by the lifeguards is Vinegar. However researchers at James Cook University and Cairns far north Queensland hospital. find that vinegar increases the venom load.

When the jelly fish venom balls are fired off, they release at between 20% and 30%. The application of vinegar will increase this to between 50% and 60%.

This research has been published in the Australian journal of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Yes - I got very excited when I read this but so far the other researchers have heavily criticised the paper as pointed out somewhere else on this thread and so far the vinegar advice still stands.

If not check with Lisa Gershwin, who is one of the world's leading authorities on this also from Australia.

[BestBitterPhuket]

So sorry to hear this sad news.

I'm not saying this would have saved this girl's life, but here's what I do to neutralize the poison in jellyfish stings and insect stings (e.g., bees, wasps, hornets, etc.).

I topically apply either bruised papaya tree leaves, or the pulped flesh of green (unripe) papaya fruit, or meat tenderizer. The leaves and green fruit are high in the protein-digesting enzyme papain, and meat tenderizer is mostly pure papain which is derived from the papaya tree.

Jellyfish and insect venoms are made mostly of protein, and when papain comes into contact with those venoms they're rendered harmless.

A bottle of meat tenderizer is commonly found in the kits of EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), which they use to tread venomous stings. [/size]

Bruised papaya leaf and green papaya fruit have also traditionally been applied to infected wounds or ulcerations to enzymatically debride dead and festering tissue.

Bruised papaya leaves are also used to tenderize raw meats. Wrap the bruised leaf around the meat or fish and let it sit for 1 or 2 hours before cooking.

In university my biology teacher, who was doing his PhD research on jellyfish, kept several bottles of Adolph's Meat Tenderizer on his lab benches to tread the inevitable stings.

Here in Thailand my wife prepares almost daily som tam salad which many of you know. For those who don't, it's made from shredded green papaya fruit flesh, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, tomato and peanuts ... and is often garnished with fresh boa bok (Centella asiatica) and other raw greens. (And there are many variations.) It's the perfect, digestive-enzyme-rich salad to enhance digestion. Especially when eating high-protein foods like fish, shrimp, beef, pork, chicken, tofu, etc.

Ripe papaya covered with lime juice is also the perfect low-calorie desert. However, the ripe fruit contains no papain because as the papaya fruit ripens it contains less and less papain enzyme.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Hippocrates

Who brings meat tenderizes to the beach unless they are having a BBQ?

[Loeilad]

This is really tragic. RIP

But it's the second time that the victim get stung swimming in the dark. Does anyone know if the box jellyfish goes out mostly at night?

Maybe there should be signs warning people not to go swimming after dark as you cannot see what's in the water?

Has nothing to do with the time of day, the jellyfish comes with the tide so don't swim when the tide is incoming.

Not sure that's 100% either as box jellies are strong swimmers. Apparently they feed at night so they may follow their prey and swim at different depths depending on day/night i.e. where the food is.

[BestBitterPhuket]

I never swim in the ocean. What's the point? A swimming pool is much better. You avoid sharks, stone fish, stinging plankton, box jellies, man-o-wars, sharp rocks, sea urchins, deadly currents, getting bashed by huge waves, run over by boats and jet skis.

[Loeilad]

There are a number signs around Samui about Jellyfish in general .... one on Chawang Beach, another near Maenam Lomprayah ferry terminal...I can't remember off hand but seen a few more..... (obviously there could be more)

Sadly though how can they check as to whether or not they are in any particular area until something actually happens ?

In other previous discussions on this I have posted images and locations...

" Sadly though how can they check as to whether or not they are in any particular area until something actually happens ? " - a rather silly thing to say - jellyfish re all around the region, so the signs should be too?

the truth is that the signs are just stuck anywhere on a whim with no palnning - there isn't even a universal design....and such things as vinegar stations are left derelict as are the signs.

[Loeilad]

To loeilad I am confused with your post.u state they should not have used vinegar? Then u say we're there vinegar stations? So what is the correct treatment

Where do I say they shouldn't use vinegar?????? If I did it was a typo and I'll change it...SO PLEASE SHOW ME

[limbos]

Protection can be among others a net on the beach, preventing bigger species of box jelly fish from entering, signs warning for box jelly and what to do, readily and easily available and plenty of vinegar (will stop the tentacles from firing but will not relieve the pain) and wear protective suits, stinger suits or shirts with long sleeves and pants like clothing on your legs.

Is a thin shirt as an t-shirt actually protecting against sting from jellyfish?

Probably - in Oz before stinger suits, people would wear ladies tights both as leg and top protection. It looked a bit strange seeing a big butch Aussie entering the water dressed in panty-hose but that thin layer was enough to stop the stings from penetrating the skin.

It might also explain the apparent/ possible lack of fatalities before tourism as most Thai people would enter the water fully clothed.

I usually wear a rash vest at least - it also protects me from the sun.

As loeilad points out, a long sleeved rash vest and pants that cover your legs are sufficient, even a full length 0.5mm suit will do the job, basically any layer and it doesn't have to be a thick layer.

[limbos]

Seems a lot of people are happily assuming a jellyfish is a jellyfish is a jellyfish.

You're in the tropics now boys and things are a little different here.

If you want to live longer obey the cardinal rules - no swimming in the wet season and no swimming in calm water.

Box jellies avoid rough water or surf and tend to move out of the creeks into more open water during the wet season.

Trust me, a Portuguese man'o'war or some other slightly annoying stinger from the "old country" simply isn't in the same league as chironex fleckeri which is the most venomous of the box jellyfish - and one of the most venomous animals on the planet.

Death can follow rapidly from a decent encounter.

I know from first hand experience that vinegar doesn't take the pain away..it's purpose is to stop any unfired nodes from releasing venom which they will do readily (even when the tentacle is broken off) especially if people use the old remedy of rubbing the area with sand,

Use quack treatments at your peril.

The sting marks on the young lady are a little unusual as c.fleckeri tend to be more ladderlike in marking.

Agreed - many posts indicate a profound ignorance of the difference between a Box Jelly and other jellyfish. They are NOT the same....there are of course also several species of box jelly and they aren't all deadly......wait until we find the irukandji around here - size of your thumb, but still deadly

About 3 weeks ago on Chumpon Pinnacle. About 6-8 cm long, comes very close

Edited October 7, 2015 by limbos

[Loeilad]

BTW - there seems to be people who apart from advocating quack remedies are suggesting for primary careyou rub stuff onto the wounds.

You DON"T RUB ANYTHING onto a box jelly wound!!!

Your pour vinegar onto the tentacles - this does NOT alleviate the pain, it paralyses the stinging mechanisms - then you can remove the tentacles without releasing a further possibly fatal dose of venom. Any rubbing at this stage is likely to cause further envenomation and further endanger the victim's life.