Watch out for jellyfish on Riviera beaches

Summer is nearly here and the beaches of the South of France are already crowded with bathers. While the water is very pleasant, you should still be on the lookout for jellyfish.

At this time of year, it’s not unusual to see jellyfish on the beaches of the Côte d’Azur, particularly the pelagic jellyfish, which is very common in the Mediterranean and whose sting causes itching and a burning sensation.

Where are the jellyfish on the Côte d’Azur?

During the summer months, jellyfish can be seen on the shores of some of the Côte d’Azur’s biggest beaches. Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Beaulieu, Monaco… Will they be there when you visit? There’s an app that can help you find out. Every year, the ACRI laboratory in Sophia-Antipolis produces a real-time map to provide information on recent sightings of jellyfish near a beach.

It also exists as a smartphone application, with the bathers themselves helping to keep it up to date. On the platform, we can see that the Principality experienced an invasion of “Pelagia noctiluca” jellyfish on Larvotto beach, despite the protective netting, specifically around June 17.

How do you treat a jellyfish sting?

Even if you’re careful, you could still be stung by a jellyfish. If so, there are three main ‘do’s’ to observe, as the Alpes-Maritimes fire service reminds us:

Remove any tentacles that are left on the skin using tweezers, or by rubbing wet sand over them.
Rinse the wound with seawater, rather than shower water, which increases the pain.
Disinfect with antiseptic

At the same time, here are a few ‘don’ts’ in the event of a sting:

Do not apply alcohol
Do not suck/pump out the venom
Do not urinate on the wound, as this may cause infection

What happens if you get stung by a jellyfish?

We mentioned a burning sensation and itching after a sting from a pelagic jellyfish, the most stinging of its kind on the French coast. At the time, the pain can feel like a small jolt of electricity. The level of pain will then increase for about 30 minutes, which is why it’s important to deal with it quickly.

The biggest risk is an allergic reaction. If you experience breathing difficulties, dizziness or vomiting, or if the person who has been stung faints, call the emergency services immediately on 15 (SAMU) or 18 (fire department).

Protected areas are set up on the beaches in summer, using protective nets. There is one on Larvotto beach, Beaulieu-sur-Mer beaches, Marquet beach in Cap d’Ail and many others.

Meduseo: a jellyfish alert for safe swimming

With the proliferation of jellyfish on the Mediterranean coast, the free Meduseod application developed by Jérémy Deverdun enables bathers to check for their presence in real time before going into the water.

Thanks to a participatory reporting system, the platform displays coloured dots on an interactive map to indicate the amount of jellyfish around: yellow for very low density, orange for low presence and red for high concentration.