The jellyfish have arrived in Coronado Panama

Jellyfish have arrived on the Pacific coast of Panama. Read about Panama’s Jellyfish season and tips for treating stings here ( FIY urine is no longer the go-to for jellyfish stings).

If you have walked the beach in Coronado, Panama or a surrounding beach, you may have noticed jellyfish on the shoreline. Or perhaps, you noticed them while swimming in which case you might want to check out our tips for jellyfish stings below!

Each year the arrival of the jellyfish coincides with an upwelling that occurs in regions of Tropical East Pacific. Upwelling is an event that causes colder, deeper more nutrient rich waters to rise to the surface. 

While the relationship between the two events (arrival of the Jellyfish in Panama and Upwelling in Panama) has not been studied much, each year events seem to occur together in the heart of dry season which is mid January to Early February.

The events also bring some larger creature to the surface to feed. As Northern winds push deeper nutrient-rich water to the surface nourishing marine ecosystems, we have the opportunity to see giant whale shark feeding on phyto-plakton blooms drifting in the currents.


If you have been stung by a jellyfish here are some do’s and don’t....

For starters, don’t pee on it. 

1. Get Out of the Water 
If you have been stung, get out of the water to assess the severity of the sting 

2. Stop the Stinging
Some say peeing on the sting will help, and while Urine does contain urea, your urine is too diluted for it to work. Trying to remove tentacles by scraping them away can trigger the nematocysts (sting). Alcohol will also make things worse. The one thing that will work and that is vinegar. Vinegar will prevent nematocysts releasing venom. After the vinegar, remove any visible tentacles with tweezers and apply heat to the area. Hot water will work better than cold, even though you thing cold water might been soothing on your burning skin. 

3.Prevent future sings 
Once you’ve been stung you will likely be more prepared for the next incident. Carry the above remedies in your car or beach bag when planning on spending the day in the ocean during the months of February and March.