Surfers get a stinging surprise

Aine Edwards, an Irish surfer, who has been catching the waves on the East Coast for the last five years, recalled the experience of being stung by a jellyfish a week ago. “Everybody was talking about the incredible number of jellyfish in the sea. 

It had kept me out of the water, but when I went in last week, I got stung. It was painful for half- an- hour but pouring freshwater really helped. I have been surfing here for five years now and I got stung by the jellyfish two years ago. 

The presence of jellyfish was never like this in the past. The duration has also been longer, as the jellyfish have been here for more than a month now. But the surfers are still surfing and I guess it’s hard to keep the surfers out when there is a good wave,” laughed the entrepreneur, who resides in Mamallapuram.

Divya Pandurangam of Surf Turf pointed out that jellyfish are a part of the sea and it’s only now that people are becoming aware of their existence. “Whichever beach you go to, jellyfish are a part of the marine life. More people are going out to the ocean now and are rediscovering that. The sting is not dangerous and the pain lasts for a while, which can be alleviated with hot water and vinegar. Many of our ace surfers, who venture deep into the sea, are used to these stings,” she pointed out. 

Mumu, a surfer and instructor pointed out that the frequency of surfers getting stung varies. “The jellyfish have always been there, but the numbers seem to be on the rise this season. Two weeks ago, I heard (since I was not here) that there were a lot of jellyfish and surfers were getting stung. But now, the condition has become better. Maybe one in 20 surfers has a chance of getting stung. There have been no cases reported over the last few days. It looks like the jellyfish population is clearing out,” he said, adding that the situation is almost back to normal.