5K swim

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

I hate to see you DNF before you even start, BUT... there's no way I'd get in the water with those creatures. I'm with you- if I can see them- they can just have the water. Who knows? Maybe with all the thrashing swimmers they'd keep their distance, but you'll probably be so spread out they may decide to come close and check you out (and sting you in the process). Maybe if every part of my skin was covered I'd do it (gloves, neoprene socks, face mask, etc).
I think if you do it, you're a super brave woman. I don't think I could do it. :)

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Well jellyfish do not have a brain, eyes, or a heart. So they pretty much just float around and sting stuff in their path. They don't have any rational thought to think to move away from humans.

I am packing the sleelveless (rental) and full wetsuits. I'll wear one or the other. My sister seems to think they won't be in the portion where I'll be swimming. My friend was there just a couple of weeks back and said she was stung twice it was nothing really.

Stinging or not... just the SIGHT of them makes me CRINGE!

If I have to DNS or DNF though, I'll be OK with it.

Wow. I don't think jellyfish would have occurred to me. Is there anything you can do to make yourself unattractive/distasteful to them, I wonder?

Apparently there is a product called "Safe Sea" that applies to this situation: http://www.buysafesea.com/

The big caution flag on the website was for a short supply for 2008, but hopefully that doesn't apply to 2009. There is a distributor for amazon.com that is selling it and it's in stock.

How does Safe Sea® stop the sting?
* Too slippery: Safe Sea® has a waterproof, slippery texture that makes it difficult for the stinging tentacles to attach to the skin.
* Taking a tip from our friend the Clown Fish: Safe Sea® absorbs secretions from the skin that would otherwise tell the jellyfish that it's in contact with prey or predator.
* Disrupt communication: Chemical stoppers in Safe Sea® block the chemical pathways where the stinging process is activated.
* Disarm: A stinging cell is a dense "capsule" containing a long folded needle. Pressure builds in this capsule just prior to stinging. As the pressure builds, the capsule is forced open and the needle shoots out like a harpoon, injecting its target with toxin at a force equivalent to a bullet being fired from a gun. This all happens in a fraction of a second; jellyfish stings are among the most rapid mechanical events in all of cellular biology. Safe Sea® reduces the pressure in stinging cells so that they cannot fire - effectively disarming them.

Hey Colby! Thanks for that link! Unfortunately I can't get the stuff before I fly out Fri... so I'll just show up and see how it goes.

I called one of the race directors yesterday and asked if she knew how the jellyfish were looking. She hasn't been in the area we are swimming in, so she didn't know.

Here's what she said... "It's kind of like a bee sting... not too bad". WHAT! :eek: A bee sting is pretty darn miserable.

So I'm going to show up, bring both wetsuits and hope and pray for the best.

On a positive note... one of the pairs of goggles worked! YES! The first pair I opened and tried out!

Karen,

I did an OWS in the Chesapeake last week and there were no signs of jellies (sea nettles) yet.

There are creams available that are suppose to protect your exposed skin from the stings. If you can find some, or they have it at the race, it would probably be worth putting on. ETA, this must be the Sea Safe stuff mentioned above.

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Originally Posted by MDHillSlug

Karen,

I did an OWS in the Chesapeake last week and there were no signs of jellies (sea nettles) yet.

There are creams available that are suppose to protect your exposed skin from the stings. If you can find some, or they have it at the race, it would probably be worth putting on. ETA, this must be the Sea Safe stuff mentioned above.

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AWESOME! I'm feeling so much better about the race!

I have no clue where to buy creams like that! Unfortunately I fly out Fri afternoon and arrive at 8:00 PM... then we have to get up at like 5:30 AM Sat to make it to the race.

Someone mentioned Vaseline? It might be the poor man's way to protect to my face? :)

KSH,

When I lived in the D.C. area, I used to do a lot of windsurfing in Chesapeake Bay. I did get stung a few times, but it was not nearly as bad as a bee sting, IMHO. Still, though, if you have a sensitivity to such things, I would be concerned. And, of course, I was above the water far more than I was IN it!

Good luck!

Alex

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MDHillSlug

Karen,

I did an OWS in the Chesapeake last week and there were no signs of jellies (sea nettles) yet.

There are creams available that are suppose to protect your exposed skin from the stings. If you can find some, or they have it at the race, it would probably be worth putting on. ETA, this must be the Sea Safe stuff mentioned above.

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That sounds promising! I can't WAIT to hear how it goes. I have a good feeling about it for you :D I think it is going to go well!

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Originally Posted by Alex

KSH,

When I lived in the D.C. area, I used to do a lot of windsurfing in Chesapeake Bay. I did get stung a few times, but it was not nearly as bad as a bee sting, IMHO. Still, though, if you have a sensitivity to such things, I would be concerned. And, of course, I was above the water far more than I was IN it!

Good luck!

Alex

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Happy to hear, because a bee sting is downright painful! Not mild at all.

Jellfish... just gross me out to no end. Terrify me. I wouldn't even want to touch one... stinging or not.

I feel better about the race and I have hope that there will not be jellyfish in the water!

OK, why would they organize a race in which all of their swimmers are at a high risk for jellyfish stings? Isn't the Great USofA the land of lawsuits and high insurance premiums...races don't have the money for that kind of thing...
It must NOT be as serious as everyone thinks.
Anyway, the best case scenario is nothing happens! and the worst is to say "I got stung by jellyfish" and be irritated for some days. I got stung quite a few times as a child, sat on the beach and cried for a half hour and then went back in and swam around the rest of the day...(of course had to be all calamine lotioned up at night). (and I am sensitive to everything, get hives when I get bit by a mosquito)

Well I feel pretty good about the jellyfish not being where we are swimming, the Chester River.

I fly out in a few hours.

Will be swimming tomorrow morning!

Tested the sleeveless wetsuit on Wed in the pool. WOW! That was nice! It's the first time I wore a wetsuit and didn't hate it. I like sleeveless wetsuits! I hope it makes me super fast in the water! :)

I'll come back with a RR in a couple of days!

Sure, I leave town just when you are arriving! :(

Good luck, have fun, and kick some azz!