I’ve just created a video review of some products that I think will be very helpful to anyone who plays in the sea or to any first responders who encounter marine envenomations and punture wounds from marine animals.
These First-Aid Kits and other products are designed to have everything you might need to treat an injury from jellyfish sting, a man-of-war sting, a sting from fire coral, and puncture wounds from stingrays or sea urchins.
I don’t sell these products, but I did receive free samples from the manufacturer, Ocean Care Solutions, because they know I have a strong interest in jellyfish and jellyfish sting injuries.
In addition to the specialized first-aid kits, the company also sells small bottles of jellyfish sting relief solution for use on common jellyfish stings. This is a vinegar-based solution (5% acetic acid) which does NOT contain Lidocaine.
Vinegar is the currently accepted treatment for jellyfish sting injuries and is believed to neutralize the stinging cells (nematocysts) of jellyfish tentacles.
Since man-of-war jellyfish have such a powerful sting, vinegar alone is not the recommended treatment. In addition to vinegar, the application of heat directly to the site of injury is the best treatment. Field experience suggests that 113 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 minutes is normally what it takes to make the pain subside. Heat can also be used on other types of jellyfish stings, but is generally not considered necessary because the application of vinegar alone is sufficient (after removing any remaining stinging tentacles).
Contents of the Ocean Care Solutions First-Aid Kit for Man-of-War stings. Click photo to enlarge.
These first-aid kits contain a special chemical heat pack compress that can be activated in the field to begin treatment immediately. The sooner treatment for any of these marine sting injuries starts, the more effective will be the relief.
Jellyfish Sting spray gel from Ocean Care Solutions. Active ingredient is 5% vinegar solution.
You can find out more about the products by visiting www.oceancaresolutions.com
I have been in contact with Ron Adley, now with Ocean Care Solutions, for several years. He has always been very quick to answer any questions I’ve had about the products he represents and has gone out of his way to provide me with the latest information on field test results and independent scientific or medical research papers and studies on the topic of jellyfish sting injuries and treatment.
Ocean Care Solutions is serious about offering the best possible solutions for treatment of marine stings. The adoption of these first-aid kits for use in the field should be a serious consideration of all first-responders as well as anyone else who plays in or around the sea: beachgoers, divers, wade fishermen, surfers, kayakers, kite-boarders, etc.
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Wait. I thought all you needed was a stream of pee! Lol. Great post!
David,
Thanks so much for making this very informative video. Our young daughter was stung by a box jellyfish (sea wasp) in the Virgin Islands. It took over 30 minutes before she received treatment at the emergency room. If we had this kit, she probably could have avoided quite a bit of pain and suffering. I checked the Ocean Care Solutions web site. They said that the man-o-war kit has been used to treat box jellyfish stings. As you have mentioned, there have been reports of box jellyfish in Florida, although not in large numbers. Do you know if there have been any found on the gulf coast around Anna Maria Island?
I appreciate all your great beach reports!
Hi Lisa, no, I’ve not heard any reports of box jellies anywhere near Anna Maria. They are pretty uncommon in Florida and mostly seem to occur sporadically on the Atlantic side. Anna Maria has had some small man-of-war jellies on rare occasions, but mostly you’ll find the very mild moon jellies, the odd mushroom cap jelly, and perhaps a few sea nettles. Overall, the chance of encountering a jellyfish in the water on Anna Maria Island is extremely small.
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