I will be in Play del Carmen the week of May 22. I wondered if anyone down there knew if there were any sea lice in the water? Thanks. Joanne
We were in Xpu Ha yesterday (not too far south of Playa) and had no issues. Not everyone has a reaction to them, but I ALWAYS do, even when my son and husband do not. If they're in the water, I suffer every time. Happy to report I am reaction-free after spending the whole day in the sea.
Avoiding stings CC, what's your understanding of this? I've read the "reaction" you spoke of is the result of getting stung by jelly fish that are in the early stages of development. (I often get stung by what I think must be broken off tentacles of jellyfish- a sting here, or a sting there, because I don't see any jelleyfish- and it is mostly just annoying, not more). Have you read, as I have, that you shouldn't wash with fresh water without first taking off your bathing suit, as the fresh water will cause any juvenile jellyfish caught in your bathing suit to "fire off", a difficult rule to follow for those that are a little shy. :icon_wink: ______________________
My understanding is that it is the microscopic jellyfish (or flatworms) that give you a little sting while in the water. Usually in places that are covered by bathing suits (yes, naked is better, haha). The resulting rash is a reaction to the toxins that are released, much like allergies some people have more of a reaction than others. You don't usually feel the stings as they are happening, generally the rash appears later (though again, everyone reacts differently). As someone who definitely reacts, I usually see the rash the day after I've been in the sea (sometimes I will wake up that same night with a burning itch). Rubbing alcohol can help if you use it right away (they say that rinsing the body with urine or vinegar after getting out of the water can help, must say I have never tried either). An anti-histamine pill can help and some hydrocortisone cream. While the rash is uncomfortable, it's not dangerous, just itchy. Sea Lice/ThimbleJellyFish
Happy to report that I spent the week in the water in Playa delCarmen with no signs of "agua mala". It seems they are not around the past two years. This is great for us who are allergic to them, but I read somewhere that the turtles feed on them on their way to shore to lay their eggs. Hope they find something else to eat.
That's too bad. Hope you didn't suffer long. We will be in Playa on the 22nd. I wonder if they will still be there then? I heard that the sea lice are there first, then the thimble jelly fish. I thought they were the same thing. I hate them anyway. Thanks for the reply. Joanne
My understanding is that "sea lice" is the larval form of the thimble jellyfish. Some say there are seasons for it, in my experience, they come and go as they please, haha. Not everyone reacts with "seabather's eruption", I am one of the lucky ones. Not much you can do about it really, they are invisible to the naked eye and often you won't know you've been hit until later. This most recent incident for me, I didn't have the reaction until almost 24 hours after my swim. Treatment includes vinegar, urine, cold packs and in bad cases an antihistamine can work. This last one wasn't too too bad, I've had worse.
I get really bad reactions, and they are lasting up in Cancun, near the Sands. I hope they aren't around playa next week. Have fun reagardless.
