Jellyfish are back on Hilton Head Island SC. What you need to know for this year
They’re back! If you’ve walked along a Hilton Head Island beach recently, you might have noticed an increase in the amount of jellies scattered along the shore. With the weather warming up, the numbers of jellyfish are on the rise once again.
Although by now most locals and frequent Hilton Head beachgoers might be familiar with these sightings, those new to the area or traveling here for the first time could be taken aback by the sheer numbers they see while walking the beach or wading in the shallow ocean waters.
Here’s what to know about Hilton Head Island’s beached jellyfish and how an encounter with one could affect your day at the shore.
What types of jellyfish does Hilton Head Island have?
Dr. Joe Staton at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and Department of Natural Sciences Chair answered this question.
“We have several species that occur in our waters besides the cannonball/cabbagehead, however you locally want to call it,” Staton said. “There’s also sea nettles which are kind of moon jellies that occur worldwide. We get those here. We get Portuguese man o’ war which are not actually in the same group as the jellies with the bells.”
The most common jellyfish seen on Hilton Head Island and around South Carolina is the cannonball jellyfish. This smaller sized jelly generally does not sting and poses no large threat to curious families.
Also known as the cabbage-head jellyfish, this rounded jellyfish is abundant along the southeastern coast and tends to lose its color soon after it washes ashore. Once stranded, these jellies can’t survive long out of water and eventually become a food source for shorebirds, crabs and other critters along the coast. Cannonball jellyfish are also a particularly favored snack for the endangered leatherback sea turtle.
It’s important to remember that other jellyfish are known to swim off the island’s shores as well. One of these is the sea nettle jellyfish. These jellies are responsible for the most stings on Hilton Head Island, with the most recorded stings in one day being in the hundreds.
Another is called the Portuguese man o’ war. Although it resembles a jellyfish, the Portuguese man o’ war is actually what is known as a siphonophore and is a blueish-purple color. It looks like an inflated, plastic bag with a sting that can pack a punch.
“The important thing about the Portuguese man o’ war, if they’re washed up on the beach, they’re like dead bees. They can still sting you, so don’t mess with them,” Staton said.
“The main ones you think of in the water column are the moon jellies, the cabbage heads, and then we get, depending on the prevailing winds, we can often get a lot of Portuguese man o’ war because they float on the surface so they get blown around by the winds more,” Staton continued. “The other ones are more below the surface and they travel more with the water currents.”
Regardless of the type, Staton prefers the term jellyfish to be called ‘jelly animals’ as everything used to be called fish, even whales.
Why so many jellyfish?
More often than not, jellyfish travel in groups. These assemblies are generally called “blooms” but can also be named as a “smack” or a “swarm.” These groupings tend to form in a short amount of time after the population expands following the rising of water temperatures.
Considering jellyfish blooms are formed and thrive when the water is warm, these clusters tend to follow the spring and summer months.
Staton said the times when jellies show up on the island can change.
“Lately, they get earlier and earlier and we get more and more of them these days with the sea surface temperature rising,” he said.
Sometimes strong winds, currents and swells are the cause of many jellyfish being sent toward the shore and stranded.
How to tell if you’ve been stung
According to Mayo Clinic, common signs that you’ve been stung by a jellyfish include:
Burning, prickling or stinging pain
Red, brown or purplish tracks on the skin — a “print” of the tentacles’ contact with your skin or tentacles that may broken off and stuck to the skin
Itching
Swelling
Throbbing pain that radiates up a leg or an arm
In the case of a severe reaction, which may occur rapidly or after several hours, symptoms may include:
Stomach pain, nausea and vomiting
Headache
Muscle pain or spasms
Weakness, drowsiness, fainting and confusion
Difficulty breathing
Heart problems
Emergency medical treatment should be sought after if you have any of the severe symptoms listed above.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 10:06 AM.
