California Beach Jellyfish - Tourists, Swimmers Got Stung

Pictured above is a  red tide. On the right is a picture of a jellyfish.

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California Beach Jellyfish - Tourists, Swimmers got Stung recently in an unusual visit of the red fish eating in the red tide. Jellyfish in L.A.'s the South Bay, Orange County's Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, San Onofre and more locations are rare. But when they visit....beware!

JELLYFISH: Jellyfish are free swimming, colorless, and range in size from a few inches to three feet in diameter. They sometimes appear during the summer months. Their tentacles cause an uncomfortable reaction when they come in contact with human skin. Although jellyfish do not cause serious risk, if stung, report to the nearest staffed lifeguard station for first aid. If an allergic reaction occurs, dial 911 immediately.

Since the 1900s, black sea nettle have only visited the area four times. The invertebrates, long-tentacled giants can measure 3 feet across when full-size.

A drifting contingent of some impressively sizable jellyfish, known as black sea nettle, appeared in July 2005 and continued to edge north to Harbor Area and South Bay beaches in August after bedeviling Orange County for over a week.

While it's normal for local beaches to host jellyfish each summer, the black jellyfish is an unusual visitor, having made only four major incursions in the 1900s, the most recent being in 1999, with 2005 being the biggest year to date.

"This is the largest landing of black sea nettle ever recorded in Southern California," said Mike Schaadt, exhibits director of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro.

Schaadt said the black sea nettle, which at full size can measure 3 feet across the dome, delivers a sting much like the painful one from the purple-striped jelly and others common to the area. Scores of swimmers at Huntington Beach confirmed that firsthand earlier this week.

Reports of black sea nettle have even come from as far up the coast as Santa Barbara, including one unconfirmed sighting in British Columbia, Schaadt said. "This is truly an unusual year.

The black jellyfish invasion comes as the region experiences one of the most prolific red tides in years as well, inviting speculation that there is a link. The black sea nettle, which is actually dark purple, red and brown, is fully capable of stinging while drifting on the beach where it dries out and dies.

Lifeguard medical kits are equipped with vinegar solution that will help deactivate some of the stinging cells. The only real protection is to steer clear of the jellies, even staying out of the water if necessary, and not touching the ones on the beach.

The jellyfish — whose scientific name is Chrysaora achlyos — came in high numbers stretching off shore. With parachute-like tops as wide as 3 feet and tentacles sometimes three times that length, the translucent creatures — also known as Poralia — are larger than most jelly species. They are commonly called black jellyfish because they appear so from a distance. Most jellies seen off Southern California's coast are light blue or clear.

Commonly called giant black jellyfish because they appear that color from a distance, the animals have parachute-like tops as wide as 3 feet and tentacles sometimes three times that length. They can inflict an irritating wound between an ant bite and a bee sting.

About 150 people were stung one week day in Huntington Beach and more than 1,400 jellyfish stings occurred over the weekend. The invertebrates are black in the water, but appear to be a deep red or plum color once they're beached.

While some kids appeared to be having fun poking and prodding the slimy carcasses, the jellyfish floated offshore in enough numbers to scare most people out of the water. Lifeguards hadn't posted any warnings or asked people to clear the beach because the presence of the jellies was just a nuisance.

Usually seen off Baja California, the jellyfish have been spotted as far north as British Columbia in recent weeks, but are thickest in San Diego and Orange counties, biologists said.

The appearance of the jellies has coincided with a red tide that has lasted about five months. In the past, biologists say, the seasonal bloom of microscopic plankton off Southern California that stains the water a cocoa brown has lasted less than four weeks.

This year's extended bloom, said Dennis Kelly, a marine science instructor at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, is probably the result of urban runoff laden with mineral nutrients that nourish the ocean's phytoplankton and zooplankton.

The abundance of the black jellies, which feed on zooplankton, could be linked to the red tide or could be a complete coincidence.

The black jellyfish, which are actually purplish-brown, have been spotted in the surf and washed up along the coast for more than a week now, with most sightings on Newport and Huntington beaches. More than a thousand people have sought care from lifeguards, who have armed themselves with vinegar and water to help ease the pain.

Capt. Eric Bauer, a Newport Beach lifeguard described the scene as a jellyfish mania. In Huntington, lifeguards said that 1,400 people were stung on Sunday, up from 105 on Saturday, said Huntington lifeguard Lt. Mike Beuerlein.

The invasion of the jellyfish, which are anywhere from 6 inches to 1 foot in diameter, hit hard in Newport last Wednesday, when about 800 people reported stings. Newport thought it was over with only a few victims the past weekend. But they came back in droves Monday afternoon. Lifeguards put out buckets for people to throw the carcasses in, he said.

Strange sightings have been happening along the coast since earlier in 2005. In January, thousands of jumbo squid - usually found in 600- to 2,000-foot waters - washed up on local beaches.

Two giant black sea bass - weighing 50 and 100 pounds and 6 feet in length - washed up in San Onofre without any indication of wounds, said Dennis Kelly, chairman for the Marine Science Department at Orange Coast College. Officials were perplexed by these increasing, unique occurrences.