A significant number of Bluebottle jellyfish have been spotted this summer.
Photo: supplied
Surf Lifesaving is urging beachgoers to be aware of how to treat jellyfish stings after clubs across the country have reported an increasing number of incidents.
A significant number of Bluebottle jellyfish have been spotted this summer.
Surf Lifesaving medical director Dr Gary Payinda said it wanted people to know how to properly treat stings.
“Through the years, people have tried almost every concoction you can think of to treat jellyfish stings from shaving cream, scraping them with credit cards, putting alcohol, or urinating on jellyfish stings,” he said.
“Irritating them with pressure, or scraping, or caustic things is never a good idea.”
Payinda said beachgoers should remove all visible tentacles by hand, then get the sting victim into comfortably hot water.
“That will reduce the pain markedly, within minutes usually,” he said.
Payinda said it was also important to watch out for the signs of an allergic reaction after being stung.
“If a person’s having not just a rash on the external part of them […] but also internal symptoms like, their tongue is swelling, or they feel their throat is getting tight, or it’s hard to breathe, or they’re having vomiting,
“Those are all potentially signs of a serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.”
Payinda said adrenaline, not antihistamines, was always the treatment for anaphylaxis, and that beachgoers should call an ambulance as soon as symptoms appear.
“For people who know they are at risk of anaphylaxis they should be carrying an Epi-pen, but for the rest of us we should be aware that anaphylaxis can be a serious outcome from any kind of sting.
“If you know the right things to do, it can be absolutely life-saving.”
Payinda said hot water immersion could also be used to treat stingray stings.
“Inevitably, we see some of those with beachgoers and people who are fishing.
“Just keep it in mind, it’s a good treatment,” he said.