Box Jellyfish
The box jellyfish is certainly one creature to look out for while visiting any of the beaches on Okinawa. Known as habu kurage in Japanese, box jellyfish are often spotted in the waters near the beaches during the summer months. These creatures have the shape of a box, and on the four corners of the body hang clumps of poisonous, stinging tentacles which can be as long as two meters. Unfortunately, these hazardous sea creatures tend to be translucent and are difficult to spot, but you should always be on the lookout anyway. Their tentacles have cardiotoxic components that can cause very uncomfortable pain if you are stung.
If you or someone else is stung, be sure to get out of the water immediately to avoid further injury. Also, do not rub the affected area with your hand, towel, sand or anything else as this can spread the injury and enhance the burning sensation. Douse the sting wound generously with vinegar, pick off the tentacles, then ice the wound, and if there is any difficulty in breathing, provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and get the victim to a hospital immediately.
If you frequent many of the beaches of Okinawa, it is always a good idea to keep a bottle of vinegar with you as a precaution. Also, you will find that some beaches have what is called a “vinegar box,” but this is not always the case. However, many of Okinawa’s public beaches such as Sunset Beach and Tropical Beach have netting around the swimming area to keep hazardous creatures out of the recreational waters. |
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