An Unexpected Visitor at Coogee Beach

The Blue Bottle Jellyfish ~ by Tejas

The bluebottle jellyfish is common type of jellyfish that will usually washes up on shore of Sydney beaches.  The wind from the ocean is what makes the jellyfish get blown on to shores of beaches or in shallow waters.  On the Eastern coast of Australia during summer this jellyfish makes an unwelcome visit to the Sydney beaches with some other organisms.  The North East winds and warmer currents send these guys to the coast of Australia.  This type of jellyfish is not life threatening.  

While we were on Coogee beach by the Pacific Ocean I got stung by one on my left hand.  I thought what stung me was weird because it looked like a piece of cotton.  I picked it up and threw it into the ocean, which is totally wrong to do.  When you get stung by one it not only will hurt your hand but it will also hurt that entire arm.  I told my dad that my arm really hurts and asked him what was happening. He asked "where does it hurt?".  I said that it hurt from my armpit to the top of my left hand.  My mom is like "Arsh I think he got stung by a jellyfish!"  So my dad is like "Tej let’s go to the Medical Center where we can ask them what stung you." The lifeguard said it’s a bluebottle jellyfish and you can rinse it of in the shower, we’ll give you a ice pack, and you can go home and wash it of with hot water and it will heal by tomorrow.  So we went beck to the hotel and washed it off and watched a movie that night. It was pretty scary and cool at the same time.