Veronika Wild

Moon Jellyfish - an  Aurelia species.   Although I had never seen these before, they are apparently common in other parts of the world too. Those in the picture were photographed at the Red Sea, my cousin said she had encountered them in Italy  -Alexander Vasenin , CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons There must be a Jellyfish Convention going on in Tasmania. On the news a few nights ago there were warnings about "Blue Bottles" – Portuguese Man - O’ -War jellyfish, along the coast, especially in the north of the state. The next day was rather hot so I went to my favourite swimming spot, looked around and seeing no Blue Bottles, I jumped straight in. The weather was perfect, the sea was calm, but suddenly I found myself surrounded by jellyfish, though thankfully not Blue Bottles. These were what the locals call Moon Jellyfish an Aurelia species which are not supposed to be harmful, though some people may be allergic and they do have some cousins which aren’t so...

Among other things which can maim or kill, or at least cause excruciating pain, jellyfish deserve a mention too. Although they have always been around, they have been especially prolific this year.   The Gold Coast has been plagued by Blue Bottles and Fraser Island has had an invasion of Irukandji jellyfish.   The box jelly fish known as Stingers which used be seen mainly around the Northern Territory in the Wet Season from November to May, have now extended their range down the east coast as far as the Whitsundays and linger around until July. Warmer ocean temperatures are blamed for this. See the National Geographic for more including excellent pictures Blue Bottles I’ll start with the Portuguese Man-o’-War or Blue Bottle ( Physalia utriculus) which has been in the news lately because thousands have washed up on the shores around South East Queensland in recent weeks with over 3,000 people being treated for stings on one weekend.  They are easy to r...

While untrodden beaches are appealing, they may harbour hidden hazards It’s summer. It’s hot and it’s hard to resist Australia’s beautiful beaches, but a couple of words of caution are in order before you dive in. I am not telling you this to scare you, but because visitors and newcomers are overrepresented in the statistics of those who come to grief and we want everyone to have a great day and come home safely.   That includes Australians. While shark attacks grab the headlines, they pale into insignificance as a cause of death compared to drownings and some other lesser -known nasties. For this reason Surf Life Saving Clubs have been warning about rips this season. This refers to fast running currents in the water that have the potential to drag you out to sea. They are one of most common reasons why swimmers get into difficulty. Here is how to recognise them, followed by how to get out of one. The main thing is not to panic.   I learnt a bit my...