Sea Wasp Jellyfish

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It is a widely spread belief that peeing on a jellyfish sting helps relieve pain, but that is actually just a myth. The reasoning behind this idea is because urine contains ammonia, which counteracts itching, though no research has supported the claims.

 

My dad and stepmom, Kat, live 15 minutes away from Tybee Island, in a neighborhood in Savannah called Sandfly. During the summer, we drive to the beach at least twice a week. Sometimes Kat and I would go for a few hours after she got off work, her driving there and me driving home because she drank on the beach. We never packed much, just a blanket for us to share and a few snacks.

 

There are over 2,000 different species of jellyfish that have been identified and discovered by scientists. Due to the amount of ocean that has not been explores, it is estimated that there could be over 300,000 total species of jellyfish, ranging in sizes that are microscopic to almost 7 feet.

 

At first glance, I am peaceful and calm like a jellyfish. Often, it feels as though I am navigating this sea alone, rarely crossing paths with my peers. I float through the waves of my life observing those around me. I blend into my environment, not speaking unless spoken to and staying out of the way. It’s how I learned to survive. I was surprised when you noticed me alone in the ocean. I was quiet and shy, and I think that’s what drew you to me. You knew you could get passed the barrier reef of my heart. Maybe that’s all you wanted in the first place.

 

The most common type of jellyfish sting is called a local reaction. This is when red lines from the stinger can be seen on the sting site. The site will have pain or burning. The pain will only last a few hours in a mild case, but the itching can last for over a week.

 

I was 20 years old when I got stung by a jellyfish for the first and only time. I remember hearing on the radio on the way to Tybee Island, Georgia, that the jellyfish were worse than normal. I shrugged it off, thinking I had been fairly lucky so far in avoiding the sea creatures and would probably be fine since I never go that deep into the water anyways.

 

Tybee Island has different species of jellyfish depending on the current season, along with a few species that stay year-round. In the winter, Lion’s Mane and Mushroom jellyfish swim along the cold Tybee shores. During the summer, Moon and Box Jellyfish, aka Sea Wasps, can be found swimming alongside the beachgoers.

 

I am stronger than most people believe. There is more to me than meets the eye. My appearance is soft and sweet, but I will not be underestimated. I have been looked over too many times before — told I was “too nice” and therefore did not have the ability to be a leader. I have been stuck doing your homework and projects for you because you knew I couldn’t say no. You were “too busy” at your job, and I wanted to be a good girlfriend, so I stayed up until 3am doing work that wasn’t mine. I have been pushed around and been left drowning. My strengths may lie beneath the surface in the depth of the salty waves, but I will not let them be washed away.

 

Sea Wasps were discovered by Doctor Hugo Flecker in Australia after a 5-year-old was stung to death in shallow water. Its scientific name is Chironex fleckeri. Fleckeri came from the discoverer of the species, and Chironex came from the Latin words “chiro” and “nex,” roughly translating to “the hand of death.” The name relates back to the instance in which they were discovered.

 

The words I say to others stay in my head and my heart long after the conversation has died. Why did I have to say that? Are things going to change because I spoke my mind? Do you hate me now? I feel like I’m not enough and too much for you all at once.

 

When dad goes to the beach with us on Sunday, his only day off work, he has to have a canopy with him. He doesn’t like sitting in the sun like Kat and I do because his skin burns easy. Kat and I usually fall asleep in the sun, and once we get too hot, we head to the ocean to cool off.

 

The jellyfish numbers on Tybee Island were above average in the summer of 2022. The most likely reason for this is due to the heavy winds blowing towards the island. The winds could blow in schools of jellyfish, also called a bloom, closer to the sand. The strong tides brought many of these jellyfish ashore.

 

I told my parents that I thought I got stung by a jellyfish, and we slowly made our way back to the sand.  When I stepped out of the water, I could immediately see the red lines that wrapped around my foot from where the stingers brushed against me. It was in between low and high tide, so I had quite a distance to hobble back to our canopy.

 

I am fragile, but not weak. I may be easy to harm, but I am quick to strike back. My words pack a punch, coming out of my mouth quicker than my brain can stop. “God, you’re always so loud,” I say to you on the phone because I was overstimulated. “I think I could do it better,” I snatch the pen from your hand and sit down at the table because you wouldn’t trust my vision. “Maybe you just don’t care about me enough,” I slam your car door shut and storm away after you cancel yet again another date night. I may not mean to hurt your feelings, but it is a defense mechanism after all.

 

I never go out far enough that the water goes above my hips. I’ve always been afraid of getting knocked over by a tide, and the ocean taking me back with the wave. It’s hard for me to find my footing, to stand my ground.

 

Cnidocytes are the stinging cells on a jellyfish’s tentacles. When a sting is triggered, the stingers will shoot out and release venom. Depending on the severity of the sting, the venom could either not be harmful at all or be potentially deadly.

 

I replay our conversations in my mind and reread our texts. My eyesight begins to blur and before I know it, tears are running down my face. My breaths are short and shallow. My head is pounding. I’m sweating profusely and shaking uncontrollably. I place the blame on myself, even though this relationship has two people in it. My chest hurts — outside and inside. I’m not even sure if the pain is worth it anymore.

 

Using vinegar on a jellyfish sting helps to remove any venom from the sting site.  Vinegar is considered a weak acid that counteracts the cnidocytes of a jellyfish. Rinsing the site with seawater may also prevent further stings from happening, but rinsing with freshwater may cause the stingers to release more venom.

 

My movements are slow and steady, but never stagnant. I swim at my own pace and go wherever the current takes me. I cut bangs after we broke up because you always told me I’d look bad with them. I changed my major on a whim my freshman year because the one communications class I had to take was boring. I dyed my hair black and stained the floor of my dorm room because what else was there to do on a Tuesday night? My course is always changing. I am free to go wherever I want. I am free to do whatever I want. I am free from you.

 

I didn’t even feel the tentacles of the jellyfish brush across my foot. My eyes had already been burning because water had gotten into my eye, so I was not paying attention at all to what was below me. All I felt was a sharp stinging pain that almost caused me to fall over into the salty waves. “Oh fuck,” I cried out in pain, drawing the attention of dad and Kat, who were a little bit further out than me. “Ouch, what was that? I think I just got stung by a jellyfish.”

 

Though it might be instincts to put ice on a burning sting, it is heat that helps sooth the wound. Using ice or cold water could cause more damage. A warm shower will draw the heat out of the sting site and help with the itching.

 

I push my way to the surface and head for the shore. I get tangled around limbs and words get caught in my throat. I always make a mess out of situations. My anxiety starts my fight or flight, and no one comes out unscathed. I flee when things get hard, picking a fight about our outfits not matching so I can tell you I need space but then get angry when you give me the space I ask for. We go back and forth for a while, arguing just for the sake of arguing, until our throats are raw and exhausted. It’s unintentional, the pain I cause, but can the same be said for you?

 

Luckily, Kat is always prepared for the worst situations. The blue rolling cooler that we got from family dollar always has beer, water, a Ziplock bag full of pickles to help with cramps, and a plastic spray bottle full of vinegar.

 

These special jellyfish have a clear top, which is also known as the bell of a jellyfish. The transparency of the bell makes them hard to spot in the water. Their bells are more box-shaped than other species of jellyfish, hence the nickname Box jellyfish. The corners of the bell is where the tentacles come from, each corner having up to 15 tentacles.

 

Our hands are interlocked while we sit next to each other on the edge of the bed, until I decide I can’t take the silence anymore. “I need to use the bathroom,” I say not catching your eyes as I ease out of your grasp. I lock the bathroom door behind me, something I never do. I slump down against the wall and put my head in my hands to muffle the sobs. Minutes of stillness pass before I hear you shuffling over to the door. “Just a second,” I say when you knock and then try to turn the handle. I wipe my face and open the door. The look in your eyes says it all, and without words you get down on your knees and wrap your arms around me.

 

Though in the past I thought it was weird and unnecessary that Kat insisted we pack the spray bottle, I had never been more grateful that she was an over packer. Spraying vinegar on my foot soothed my sting as I continued to bask in the sun and read my book. I breathe out into the salty air and reminisce on past memories. Despite everything, I was still here — alive and breathing, even though I didn’t think I could survive without you.

 

Being stung by the sea wasp hurt like a bitch, but it wasn’t the most painful thing I have ever endured. The injuries that have hurt the most came from the inside, and it was usually me doing the damage. Holding on to guilt hurts the heart more than any sting ever could, and forgiveness does more good for heartache than ibuprofen can. I know if I can forgive myself the way you did, or even the way I forgave the jellyfish, then maybe the sting in my heart will ease and I will no longer be afraid of the ocean between us.