Hundreds stung by the huge groups of jellyfish

A CERTAIN breed of jellyfish have been on the increase in the past couple of weeks and have been causing lots of discomfort for many bathers and swimmers around the Balearic Islands. The latin name of this jellyfish is the “Pelagia noctiluca”, which are also on the increase in the rest of the Western Mediterranean and even parts of North Africa, France and Sardinia. The “Pelagia noctiluca” is not a stranger to the Balearic Islands, as each year the breed pays the islands a visit. However, the more known and common breed of jellyfish is the “Rhizostoma pulmo”. The former are a lot smaller than the “Rhizostoma pulmo” jellyfish, but the “Pelagia noctiluca” breed are more harmful and the stings they leave are much more intense and acute. During the last two weeks, the Red Cross lifeguards in Majorca have been kept very busy by these slimy creatures. The West and Northern coastlines on the island have been the worst affected, with hundreds at a time being spotted. For example from July 1, the Red Cross lifeguards in the area of Soller have attended 85 people with jellyfish stings on the Playa den Repic, and a further 32 stings on the Playa den Generoso. In the region of Andratx, the jellyfish situation has appeared to calmed down in the last few days. However, from 19 June until the end of June the lifeguards were called to the aid of 57 jellyfish cases on the beaches in Camp de Mar and Sant Elm. On the 19 June, it was in fact the annual canoe crossing from the Camp de Mar beach around the Dragonera island, with hundreds of canoeists taking part. From this one morning event, there were at least 50 people suffering with jellyfish stings. Many of those taking part in the canoe crossing noted significant groups of the “Pelagia noctiluca” jellyfish stuck to the rocks of the Dragonera island and floating half a metre under the sea. In the North of the island, there were many more jellyfish disturbances. Take for example Pollensa, where 40 people with jellyfish stings were seen to in one day on 3 July. On this same beach the yellow flag was raised, to warn bathers of a some sort of danger in the sea. During the rest of the days, the situation in Pollensa has not been so alarming. However the Pollensa Red Cross team estimate that they attend to between 5 and 10 cases each day.