Deadly Box Jellies

[Ponlamai]

A friend who knows I Iove to swim at Samui, sent me this link:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/18/didnt-realise-he-was-dying-shannon-leone-fowler-traveling-ghosts

It indicates that the local authorities have known about the presence of deadly Box Jellyfish since at least 2002, but have done their best to hide the data relating to Box Jelly deaths from the public. By attributing the cause of death to other causes, in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they have obscured the real risk factors in immersing yourself in these tropical waters.

Last year when at Arang Thong National Park, there were signs warning of the presence of these deadly creatures over a 4 month period of each year. A bit further down the beach was another sign, this one warning of the presence of Box Jellies over the remaining 8 months of the year!!

I always take my stinger suit with me from Oz whenever I swim now and suggest that to swim in these waters without such protection is to invite a quick and painful death.

[khunPer]

Who says that the local authorities try to hide it..?

Signs and vineger posts with instructions has been placed at many beaches at Samui and Phangan; several articles has been published, including instructions about what to do and who til call for help (Samui Rescue for example). It's mainly in calm weather during the raining-season box jelly fish appears, and they are extremely rare, but also extremely unpleasant to get too close to. Best protection is not to swim in calm sea from late September till early January (during the Samui rain-season). You can find a number of treads about it, and instructions, if you search this forum, for example this one from August 2015: "

Dr Thon offers tips on how to protect oneself from box jellyfish attacks", and from October 2015: "German tourist dies from box jellyfish attack on Samui"...

[evadgib]

The article was nonetheless accurate cira 2002.

Edited February 24, 2017 by evadgib

[samuijimmy]

A problem in many countries,  they do occur here usually around October or November.... Since the topic has been covered, we'll avoid alarming tourists.

 

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