Box jellyfish
And that's all I have to say about that.
Irukanji maybe?
Boxy? Skeptical.
Craig will have some more to say, he's been doing a little research on the southward migration of jellyfish.
Box jellyfish, or "sea wasps" are extremely fragile, hence their haunting grounds are in calmer waters (eg - inside the Barrier reef)... Wave action, even 2 foot chop, will break them to pieces.... Broken pieces can still sting, but aren't as bad..
The bloke reckons that The hospital he went to said that box jellyfish had been reported there before. Maybe even stung someone ? I'm not sure. Hence the question.
He showed me some residual scarring / inflammation that looked like he'd been burnt by an object leaving multiple parallel lines, maybe a dozen, maybe more , across his forearm.
He said he struggled to the beach and went into a state of shock for a few hours and he was having a hard time breathing. Marks are still painful weeks later.
I'm a bit like Zen, Blowin... Very sceptical.... perhaps an adverse reaction to a more common stinger found in area's with decent wave action....
I don't know the bloke well enough to vouch for his credibility or not. Just putting it out there.
Suspected Irukandji sting at Agnes Waters two days ago:
That's as far south as I've ever heard of them.
According to the boffins at James Cook university , box jellyfish are found as far South as Exmouth on the West coast - so much for being damaged by chop, swell and wind.
stunet wrote:Suspected Irukandji sting at Agnes Waters two days ago:
That's as far south as I've ever heard of them.
They are quite often found around here Stu, mostly out on the reef, but occasionally on the beaches even down toward Hervey Bay. Currents have a big part to play on there placement and numbers. I haven't had confirmation it was the culprit, but the local ambo was pretty confident.
Blowin wrote:According to the boffins at James Cook university , box jellyfish are found as far South as Exmouth on the West coast - so much for being damaged by chop, swell and wind.
Exmouth.... A renowned swell magnet..... Blowin, Exmouth, and the Bundaberg region are the start of the "flat coasts"..... On fact, exmouthis in a large protected bay.... So in the wet season, the box jelly fish get flushed out of the rivers and into that bay.... I can assure you that any box jelly fish that make it around that cape on south towards Ningaloo will get torn to shreds..
You could always google "box jellyfish rough waters".......... ;p
Just repeating what the Uni mob reckon Sheepy.
But... no rivers for the jellies to get flushed out of at Exmouth. Plenty of swell at Exmouth. You'd have to assume they would be driven south on currents at the peak of the warm water, say February - April. Calm days occur in this time but the wind swell gets ferocious including East of the cape.
They say it happens....I've never seen one. Nor do I want to.
The town of Exmouth is on a gulf , but the gulf is shallow and gets choppy as fuck. Probably the roughest boat trip I've ever done was in the gulf.
Seen heaps of the fuckers, blowin... Me old far north Qld days.... I remember sitting on the end of the groyne at Yorkeys Knob with Dave the rave..... There a little natural rock formation at the end of the groyne that forms a semi circle.... One day, we could see at least 5 of the buggers. I remember thinking, "gee, one slip and instant death"......
Never EVER had an issue though with box jelly fish in all the times we surfed the 2 foot slop up there, even ratshit bay and Buchans point.... Got a few stings from I thought was broken tentacles though.... Like a Bluebottle on roids.....
Mate have a look at Exmouth on a map.... Then have a look across the bay (east).... Looks like rivers, estuaries.... The just up from there is Onslow and Tent Island... One area looks like mangroves..... Prime jellyfish country to me, bro.....
Blowin when did this supposed Box jelly sting at Ballina take place.
I've heard nothing about it.
Water has been flowing down hill from the EAC at a ferocious rate recently so you couldn't totally discount it.
Current observations have 28 degree water flowing down the EAC, astounding! And it's 3 degrees + above average..
Wow!!! A cyclone forming off Yamba!!??? I'd like to see that! lol
Fr, I'd absolutely discount it..... Well...... 99.999% discount it....
Sheepy, I've worked and fished all through the gulf and Onslow. No rivers or estuaries mate. Tidal creeks is about it. Mangroves , but I'd say the jellies come on the currents from up North otherwise they'd be there full time ?
Freeride, fella just said a few weeks ago. Warm water at Ballina at the moment ?
Just saw Craig's post. Fuck yeah. Been getting any Pelagics Freeride ?
What do you reckon about the jellies Craig ?
Have to get back to you on that in time sorry Blowin.
No dramas Craig .
Sheepdog wrote:Wow!!! A cyclone forming off Yamba!!??? I'd like to see that! lol
Fr, I'd absolutely discount it..... Well...... 99.999% discount it....
One probably couldn't form ( well maybe a hybrid , but as it formed it would disrupt its source ) but with those sorts of Temps theres no problem in that one if formed in the lower CS and travelled in the right direction could stay sustained Tropical ( warm core ) till atleast Newcastle's Parallel ..... Thats all Newcastle need after a week fo closed beaches .....;-)
Blowin, it's all good.... Hang on...... You've fished all through there????? But you've never seen a box jelly fish???? But you say they are there???????? Just stirring, Blowin.. ;)
I'm looking at the map.... Now, "rivers', "creeks".... tomato tomayto.... Mate, lot of protected waters up there....
Bottomline, from Exmouth north is not really a "surf coastline"... All the way to Darwin, then onto the gulf of Carpentaria (which btw can get pretty fuckn hairy during a cyclone, or even a 40k wind - believe me) then around Torres straight and all the way down to Gladstone is also not a true "surf coastline".... So it is a hell of a coincidence that box jellyfish frequent these waters.... They've had millions of years to branch out further... Now, through a total freak chance, one may drift south from inside the barrier reef - cop a current and an offshore breeze to make it around Hervey bay/Fraser Island, then cop another current and breeze to get around Moreton bay, have absolutely no wave action on it's whole travel, avoid every turtle that loves a feed of jellyfish, and rock up at Ballina to sting someone..... NOW it COULD happen..... You never know.....But I doubt it.....
To be honest I sort of doubt it too. Highly unlikely. That's why I was enquiring about any anecdotal evidence out there to support old mates story. He certainly seemed earnest enough. Or deluded enough.
Just saw a story by channel nine Gold Coast about a box jelly found in a Gold Coast canal.
Blowin had what looked like a big longtail cruise up on a popper this morning just after the storms went through.
Gunna go livebait a favourite ledge tomorrow morning.
Someone saw a black marlin free jumping out the back of the Point on the weekend.
I saw a juvenile marlin lazing about on the surface 50m off the rocks on the mid north coast the other day. Impressive . Couldn't figure out what it was till the rising sun back lit it's vivid blue dorsal fin just feet in front of my tinny. Glad it didn't grab my lures to be honest. I'd feel a prick fighting it to near death then releasing it . I'd rather hook some food. Long tails are fun. Good size ?
looked like a horse. they all seem in the 20kilo range around here.
If I caught a small black off the rocks I'd have no hesitation keeping it and eating it.
Ever tried marlin ? It'd have to be tastey. I know sword I'd delicious. Just too much meat in even a small marlin for me to consume.
I've caught sails as by catch and felt like a piece of shit watching it fight with its guts hanging out of the size of its mouth.
I suppose if you've got the freezer capacity or enough crew to feed then why not .
20kg long tail would be a prize from the stones.
Small marlin (under 100kg) aren't to bad. Steaks cut from the shoulder through to tail muscle the best. Anything over that and you are risking it as they are known for heavy metal (particularly mercury) build up. I prefer to release alive to grow and breed. Too beautiful a creature. You were lucky to get that close to a free swimmer Blowin, probably just resting/sleeping/sunbaking.
Tuna are much better eating.
That one in Currumbin was identified as Irukandji morbakka, a subspecies that isn't quite as dangerous
Morbakka have been reported in Moreton Bay since the 1950s, and may extend down to Sydney. If a box jelly made it to Ballina that's the likely culprit as they have the same body plan
I know people who have been stung by box jellies and the proper irukandji near Agnes.
Found it somewhat amusing that the bloke who won the 'Best Job in the World' promo by Tourism Queensland got stung by an irukandji.
Sheepdog wrote:They've had millions of years to branch out further... Now, through a total freak chance, one may drift south from inside the barrier reef - cop a current and an offshore breeze to make it around Hervey bay/Fraser Island, then cop another current and breeze to get around Moreton bay, have absolutely no wave action on it's whole travel, avoid every turtle that loves a feed of jellyfish, and rock up at Ballina to sting someone..... NOW it COULD happen..... You never know.....But I doubt it.....
I'm no expert on the migratory habits of any sea creature whatsoever (hows that for a caveat), but I wonder what the spawn of Boxies can do... perhaps they have drifted in with this bizarre warm current at a stage of development that would allow such a distance.
One of the Lennox locals got stung by a Irukandji a few years ago and made it into the local paper according to a mate in Ballina. Said his nickname is Brains and he rips out the Point so Shearer should know more about it I'd guess.
I'd be a bit surprised if the latest one was a boxy though, but with global warming , contrails and such anything is possible.
Could even have been an allergic reaction to a common jellyfish.
Seal, was it Marcus Aboody that got stung ?
Edit: story in The Northern Star Jan 2008.
I never heard about it but Ill ask Marcus next time I see him.
Couple of things worth considering...
SMH is reporting this morning that a Coral Trout was just caught off Sydney...
I've read about communities of some tropical species pulled down the EAC and establishing themselves on bombies off souther QLD and Northern NSW, even just for a short period until cooler waters brought in by currents come back to ruin the party..
All this stuff about the box jellyfish not surviving 2ft wind chop....implies they can't descend deeper than the very surface - is that true? If it isn't, what do they do when the weather turns poo in Nth Qld? Wouldn't be a very resilient species if it can't survive 2ft chop...
yocal wrote:Sheepdog wrote:They've had millions of years to branch out further... Now, through a total freak chance, one may drift south from inside the barrier reef - cop a current and an offshore breeze to make it around Hervey bay/Fraser Island, then cop another current and breeze to get around Moreton bay, have absolutely no wave action on it's whole travel, avoid every turtle that loves a feed of jellyfish, and rock up at Ballina to sting someone..... NOW it COULD happen..... You never know.....But I doubt it.....
I'm no expert on the migratory habits of any sea creature whatsoever (hows that for a caveat), but I wonder what the spawn of Boxies can do... perhaps they have drifted in with this bizarre warm current at a stage of development that would allow such a distance.
Well it's a longshot, mate... But I was always under the impression they breed in the mangrove creeks and rivers, their eggs stick to underwater branches etc.... They hatch in early wet season, grow quickly, breed, then the adults get flushed out by heavy rain.... I recall never EVER seeing any box jelly fish out on the barrier reef, ever.... I recall being told by the NQ locals that in wet season, the only safe places to swim was in freshwater, or out on the reef, or during a cyclone (lol), because the waves would tear them to bits....
mowgli wrote:Couple of things worth considering...
SMH is reporting this morning that a Coral Trout was just caught off Sydney...
I've read about communities of some tropical species pulled down the EAC and establishing themselves on bombies off souther QLD and Northern NSW, even just for a short period until cooler waters brought in by currents come back to ruin the party..
That doesn't really surprise me. With the current SST's and strong EAC, anything is possible there.
Coral Trout are extremely hardy fish. I pull them out of 28* water and plunge them straight into 18* with 50% fresh water. Yes they go into quite a bit of shock and sulk at the bottom of the tank for 24 hours but after that, they're OK. Have kept them like that for up to 4 weeks and that is with up to 1400kg of live trout. The cooler temp is to slow their metabolism and they are a lot calmer and not as flighty when you jump in the tank to check them and the fresh water keeps the bugs/lice etc of them and stops fin rot.
Udo, yeah it was Marcus and happened back in Jan 2008 like you say.
And if you want to see someone rip out the Point, he's one to watch. Not many better than him out there thats for sure!
Any theories for the best treatment of jellyfish stings? Is it the same for all stingers from blue-bottles all the way up to the deadly ones?
My wife got stung yesterday by one of those big blue ones ( short tenticles, i have touched them many times while surfing but never got stung) that have been all over the mid-north coast this summer. The old-timers on the sand got some vinegar from the kiosk but she said it made it much worse. Others have recommended hot water as it is supposed to denature the proteins in the venom but is is hard to find people who agree.
I believe the hottest water you can stand is the latest theory
Also, the theory behind that is that the brain can't register two sources of pain simultaneously so the hot water tends to offset the pain from the sting.
if that was the case why not just jump on their foot lol
True. In the absence of hot water, a swift backhander might stop the screaming:)
Heard a fella got stung by a boxy at Ballina. A first ?