Thai Island Box Jellyfish Warning
One of a number of countries in South-East Asia and around the world to open their doors and welcome back sadly-missed touri$ts, Thailand is at last seeing those endless, swarming queues at Suvarnabhumi Immigration - though obviously not hordes of Russians - meaning beach resorts are once more teeming with thawing bodies and tan oil while, as the latest box jellyfish warning tells us, an unwelcome local annoyance is waiting to spoil the fun.
Koh Mak towards the Cambodian border in the Gulf of Thailand is no stranger to box jellyfish and severe life-threatening stings. This beautiful, laidback, environmentally-progressive island deserves better than to have potentially-deadly jellyfish causing concern; it is a gem.
The swaying palms, sweeping sands, inviting water and postcard views from lazy, mostly-deserted beaches belie an intermittent but persistent box jellyfish problem and, recently, reports of their presence in numbers as well as stings are rearing their worrying heads again.
The Koh Mak community, including for the most part the tourism and hospitality industry, did to their credit respond openly, positively and actively to a real box jellyfish threat in 2008. The government eventually got on board and with a trained and determined local force got on with the task of making their beaches safer.
They took the initiative and set up information/warning signs, vinegar poles, prevention nets and regular communications in a national box jellyfish surveillance program that has worked wonders. But, still, the box jellyfish come. And they will continue to come.
Koh Mak is probably the most well-prepared island and chain of beaches in the whole of Thailand, actually all of South-East Asia; however, like Koh Samui and a number of others such as nearby Koh Kood*, this degree of preparation is only part of the solution.
Where there are box jellyfish, there is a risk. Perhaps due to optimum feeding and breeding conditions, some beaches with more box jellyfish appearing more frequently are obviously more of a risk than others. Unfortunately, the pattern that's been forming over many years at Koh Mak is telling. Before the inevitable box jellyfish death, it's time surely for more drastic measures.
The right and easy way is stinger suits. A full-length lycra bodysuit provides 100% protection from a box jellyfish sting, but regrettably for most they make the wrong fashion statement. No one much will or wants to wear them. Though for all parents and carers out there, children are easier to persuade, just saying.
The next option is to advise people not to enter the water. Warning of entering at your own risk or swimming in a net is the only real and efficient way to engage those bothered with reading more signs, spoiling the dream and reluctantly losing more freedoms.
It happens with an encouraging degree of success at a very, very, very few places in Thailand. But, there's no way to keep people out of the water all over the place all of the time. It's up to the individual and peers to get informed, look at the facts, way up the risks and do the right thing. Sound familiar?
Now that the pandemic is on it's last legs, for now, and tourists return in unrelenting droves to their favourite, longed-for vacation destination, these jellyfish are doing what they always do and have done for millennia. Huntin', fishin' and spittin' out little 'uns.
Possibly now more comfortable and perhaps more prolific in their fishing grounds after almost 2 years of relative quiet and calm, box jellyfish are a lingering menace with potential to kill. Here's a fact, stings are avoidable. Taking care of you, your friends and family faced with a threat simply, vitally, cannot be ignored, as is the case at the moment with wonderful Koh Mak.
* Koh Kood in January 2023: A sign warning of box jellyfish that was sanctioned by a local authority was recently discovered to promote potentially life-threatening advice. The sign stated that sand, a towel, ammonia, a local herbal paste and alcohol such as whiskey should be used on the wound in the event of a sting. The application of these substances is incorrect, dangerous and more likely to cause death. ONLY vinegar should be used, as explained in the post below "Stings - What To Do & Don't".
Further Reading:
Suddenly passing away in Thailand, we mourn the sad recent death of the legendary King of Spin, Shane Warne. RIP.
This article in no way suggests or implies a link between box jellyfish and Shane Warne's death.
does anyone know if the incidence of box jelly is higher in specific areas of Koh Mak? are there areas that are considered less likely to harbour box jelly?
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