Around July to September, flocks of bluebottle jellyfish (Physalia utriculus) typically arrive along the shores of Bali Island, including Sanur Beach. 

Despite their beautiful appearance, you should avoid direct contact with these creatures. Because jellyfish can sting and their venom can cause quite serious symptoms.

What are the Effects of Jellyfish Stings?

Jellyfish generally only sting through their tentacles when they feel disturbed or threatened. Unfortunately, the presence of jellyfish on the beach is often unnoticed. 

Their bodies tend to be transparent, blending with the seawater, foam, and sand. This is what causes many tourists to get stung by jellyfish while playing or swimming at the beach.

In Indonesia, the toxic jellyfish that commonly attack are bluebottle jellyfish, whose bodies are transparent blue in color, resembling a balloon. 

If stung by a bluebottle jellyfish, several symptoms usually occur, including:

• Itchy skin.
• Burning sensation like being burned.
• Throbbing sensation on the skin.
• Skin blistering.
• Appearance of red welts accompanied by swelling and pain.

These symptoms appear locally (on the surface of the stung skin). With proper treatment, they generally heal within 2-3 days.

First Aid for Bluebottle Jellyfish Stings

If you are stung by a bluebottle jellyfish while playing or swimming at the beach, there are several first aid steps you can take:

1. Immediately remove the person stung by the jellyfish from the water.
2. Carefully remove the jellyfish tentacles. Avoid using bare hands as it can sting your hands. Use gloves, tweezers, or other protective objects.
3. Avoid rubbing the stung skin area to prevent the venom from spreading to other areas of the skin.
4. Even though the jellyfish tentacles have been detached, there are usually some tentacles’ stinging cells (nematocysts) left in the skin. To remove them, you can rinse the sting area with seawater.
5. Never rinse the jellyfish sting area with fresh water (like tap or bottled water). This can cause the remaining stinging cells in the skin to become active and explode, resulting in small stings.
6. Avoid rinsing the area stung by bluebottle jellyfish with vinegar. Vinegar can increase the spread of venom, making the pain worse.
7. Soak the stung skin area in warm water (maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes. This aims to relieve pain and help neutralize the jellyfish venom.
8. If you cannot find hot water, you can use ice in a dry plastic bag to compress the jellyfish sting area.
9. To help reduce pain, you can apply calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream to the jellyfish sting area.

Can Urine Treat Jellyfish Stings?

You may have heard of a "lifehack" involving treating jellyfish stings by pouring urine onto the sting area. 

It turns out that this lifehack is just a myth and can actually worsen the condition of the stung skin. 

Urine is almost like fresh water, so when it comes into contact with a jellyfish sting, the remaining nematocysts in the skin can react. This will cause new stings and make the pain worse.

When Should You See a Doctor?

Although rare, severe systemic symptoms may occur, namely:

• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Fever.
• Increased heart rate at rest (tachycardia).
• Shortness of breath.
• Abdominal and back muscle cramps.

These symptoms usually occur in someone who is allergic to jellyfish venom or when stung in certain parts of the body, such as:

• Neck area.
• Facial area.
• Jellyfish stings cover broad areas of your body.

If experiencing severe systemic symptoms, you need to be immediately taken to the Emergency Room for medical assistance. This is because these symptoms can cause disruptions in heart and respiratory function.

One of the best hospitals to visit to treat jellyfish stings is Bali International Hospital. This hospital is located in the Special Economic Zone for Health known as The Sanur. 

Besides its strategic and easily accessible location, this hospital comes with state-of-the-art medical equipment, modern facilities, and world-class service.

Making your treatment process safe and comfortable. With that, you can soon enjoy your vacation time in Bali again.

How to Avoid Jellyfish Stings

To avoid jellyfish stings while vacationing on the beautiful beaches of Bali Island, you can apply the following tips:

1. Educate children and other family members about the risks of jellyfish stings before playing on the beach.
2. Ensure whether there are jellyfish in the beach area with the lifeguard on duty.
3. If you want to surf or dive at the beach, make sure to wear protective clothing that covers the entire body and waterproof footwear.
4. Never touch jellyfish visible in the water or washed ashore on the beach.
5. Remember that the tentacles of dead jellyfish can still sting too. So, try not to step on or directly touch dead jellyfish.

That's the general information you need to know about toxic jellyfish stings that may appear on Sanur Beach and other beaches on Bali Island. 

By knowing this information, it is hoped that you and your family can enjoy the beauty of the beaches in Bali safely and joyfully.