Marine Stings And Scrapes: Prevention

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Prevention

You can limit your risk of being injured by jellyfish, a Portuguese man-of-war, or coral.

• Be familiar with the likely marine risks in the area where you plan to swim, snorkel, or dive. If you are traveling, obtain information about the local conditions.
• Be prepared with first aid supplies that might be needed for a injury.
• Watch for warning signs that are posted when there is a jellyfish or Portuguese man-of-war invasion.
• Do not touch jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-wars, or coral.
• Watch out for jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-wars in the water, particularly when there are strong onshore winds.
• Stay out of the water when jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-wars are present. Look out for the bluish floats of the Portuguese man-of-war, and avoid the poisonous trailing tentacles.
• Watch for beached jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-wars. Their tentacles may still sting.
• Do not rely on clothing or on coating the skin with petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) to prevent stings. Wear a wet suit to reduce your risk of getting stung.
• Wear protective shoes when walking on the beach. Avoid stepping on marine life.
• Avoid swimming or snorkeling in swallow water, where touching or bumping into coral might occur.
• Wash your swimsuit with detergent and heat-dry after use. This will kill the stinging larvae that cause seabather's eruption.
• Talk to your doctor about carrying an allergy kit if you have had any sort of allergic reaction or toxic reaction to a marine sting in the past.
• Consider using a topical jellyfish sting inhibitor lotion, such as Safe Sea.

Last updated:	September 24, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer