In the summer of 1996, this editor had every teenagers dream job. The only thing cooler than driving along Ocean Parkway at dawn, heading to work as an ocean beach Lifeguard, was the rush of running into treacherous waters to someone’s rescue. That Summer was filled with the horror of TWA Flight 800, a wild storm season and a pattern of aquatic phenom which has recast its Summer shadow 20 years later. The tides of dead fish washing up on the shores were the first indication, followed by a large number of shark sightings. After yesterday’s Portuguese Man-of-War sightings, it’s safe to say that history has officially repeated itself. In order to stay safe and keep the kids out of harm’s way this Summer, we’ve compiled some top notch emergency first aid, beach safety and survival guide.
Jellyfish Survival Guide & First Aid Essentials:
Pack Vinegar, Nylons or Vinyl Gloves, Tweezers, and Petroleum Jelly in your beach bag
Bring a bottle of Vinegar with you to the beach to use on Jellyfish stings. Isolate the sting by pouring a generous amount of household vinegar onto the irritated area. This does not reverse the effects of venom or control pain, but it will help to stop any unfired tentacles from discharging more venom. After pouring vinegar on the sting area, rinse off with saline or seawater. DO NOT USE FRESH WATER!
tweezers: Use fine tweezers to remove any tentacles which may still be embedded in the skin around the sting area. It’s a good precaution to wear vinyl or latex free gloves when removing the venomous tentacles to avoid getting stung yourself. Divers use Nylon stockings to remove Jellyfish residue and venom off of skin and will sometimes wear nylon stockings underneath wet suits to prevent stingers from penetrating the skin.
Petroleum Jelly: As an open water swimmer, I used to grease up with Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly to protect my skin from jellyfish stings. It’s not 100% effective but will assist in preventing the sting to spread until you reach the shore for treatment.
Heat: The use of hot water can help to reduce pain in the aftermath of a jellyfish sting, but should only be used on adults. Hot water can cause tissue damage or burn the skin of a child and should only be used if a Doctor has recommended this treatment. Soaking the affected area in hot water (115 degrees fahrenheit) for an hour can help to break down the toxins in the skin and will help to minimize the pain.
Note: Taking a recommended dose of Tylenol or Advil can be used to help cope with the pain in the hours after a jellyfish sting.
Shark Survival Guide
Shark sightings can be terrifying, especially after watching Jaws or Shark week on Discovery channel. Since you really can’t pack a shark attack first aid kit with you to the beach, the key to safety in the water should be prevention. Knowing what to do when a shark fin emerges can literally save your life.
No Jewelry or Shiny Bathing Suits: Remove watches, earrings and any jewelry before heading into the water. Sharks can mistake the reflection of shiny objects for fish scales which will attract sharks closer to you. Metallic bathing suits and bedazzled bikinis should be avoided as well.
Splashing around in a panic will only draw sharks closer to you. If you see a shark fin, stay calm and either walk to shore or swim back without breaking the water.
Always have a swimming buddy in the Ocean. This is good practice no matter where you swim, but especially when sharks are getting closer and closer to shorelines in the area. If you see a shark fin, get back to back with your swim buddy and work together to get back to a boat or to shore.
If you see something Scream Something! It’s better to be the boy who cried wolf rather than keep quiet and live with the guilt of not speaking up when you think a shark is nearby. I’ve actually mistook a stingray for a shark fin once and people still called me a hero for the mistake. What’s scary is not that shark sightings are in high volume lately… It’s the fact that they seem to be more aggressive than normal. Do your civic duty as a beachgoer if you think you saw something and scream SHARK!!!