It's that time of year again....

The jellyfish are back like clockwork, putting in an appearance from early May and growing steadily in numbers, and size.

Recently at Freshwater East, for example, we have noticed increased numbers of barrel jellyfish and now moon jellyfish have also started to make an appearance.

Lot's of people get freaked out by these large animals, but in fact they do not sting once they have matured to this size and in fact only the very young, miniature sized barrel jellyfish will cause irritation.

Very much a seasonal arrival, these creatures will turn up as the sea starts warming and also in time for the arrival of blooms of algae, plus the arrival of hundreds of spider crabs which can be seen spawning (and occasionally eating jellyfish!) on the sea floor.

The big barrels tend to swim around 1-2m deep, so normally you can swim right over them, but sometimes they drift to the surface and if you;re not looking out for them you can swim right into them, we'd advise just being prepared and looking where you're going! If you see one, stop and look at it, learn how they move and get used to it - it will make it easier when you see them next time!

Luckily, most jellyfish in the waters around Pembrokeshire are harmless and their stings are mild, similar to a nettle sting.

Late September however saw the arrival of quite a few 'Portuguese Man o War' jellyfish.

Although not common in the seas around Pembrokeshire they're not unheard of, but do sometimes get blown in from deeper waters due to the fact that they float on the surface and have a kind of sail along the top of the airbag.

Whilst they are very intriguing and beautiful creatures they do pack a potent sting.

They can also sting even when they've been washed up onto the beach so the recommendation is to avoid them at a distance and do not touch them a walk on them on the beach and to keep your dog away from them.

The same applies obviously if you see one floating in the sea, luckily it will be visible, however in choppy conditions this will be difficult. The tentacles can also grow quite long so the Portuguese man-o-war may not be anywhere near you but you could swim into their tentacles.

As sea swimmers we need to know and understand the types of animals that we will come across in the ocean and in the case of those animals that could harm you, it is useful to know how to avoid being harmed or to treat any stings you may get.

Whilst researching this blog it was clear that you can search through 20 different websites and get 20 different opinions on how to treat jellyfish and Portuguese man-o-war stings!

Common treatments however do pop up in most of the research sites including the more trusted ones from the likes of the NHS.

Many refer to using vinegar, the acetic acid being the main treatment in breaking down the venom; however many reputable websites to discredit this and say that it doesn't work. Neither does urine, although I have my own theory that it has perhaps 'worked' for some people, hence the urban myth, not because of the content of the urine, but the warmth. See below!

The most common agreed upon solution appears to be heat treatment, which is a tried and tested treatment for other stinging critters such as as other jellyfish and also the weaver fish.

The heat breaks down the toxin far more rapidly than if you were to leave it untreated.

However we have noticed many websites stating that you should not wash stung areas with fresh water but use salt water, which implies that any hot water you use should be salt water too. If you're swimming in the sea then access to hot water is difficult enough, and it is unlikely that you will be able to do this using seawater.

The preferred method is to use some kind of heat pack, but if this is not available you could use hot water poured over a towel and then wrap this around the affected area.

Do not rub the affected the area and any circumstances as this will often fire off more toxin.

As with any other serious injury you may receive, the general advice is to seek medical assistance just to be safe.

That said, these creatures are rare in British waters, normally preferring warmer zones, so our advice is not to panic or avoid going to the beach or into the water, but just keep an eye out and avoid bumping into or touching anything you are not sure of. 

If you do get stung, apply heat as quickly as possible.

We recommend keeping a flask of hot water in your car so that you can carry out the heat treatment to alleviate the pain, then seek medical assistance.

Love them or hate them barrel jellyfish (rhizostoma octopus) are regular visitors to Pembrokeshire, sometimes in large numbers and are still around in September although not as many as in the summer months.

They are large, sometimes reaching up to 1m in diameter, and have a mass to them so if you swim into one you will know about it! The 'bell' is a soft rubbery like texture which can be pale pink or white, often fringed with purple markings.

The bell does not have tentacles in the classic jellyfish image, but instead has eight thick, filly 'arms' that dangle from the bell or 'manubrium'.

They have a mild sting but we have swum into plenty of them and are yet to be stung, certainly the bell dies not sting in any way and luckily that's what you often swim into first although they mostly swim 1-2 metres from the surface, so you would need to be quite unlucky to do so.

Overcoming Fear of Jellyfish

In most cases there's not much you can do when you encounter jellyfish in the sea unless you can spot them in advance. Luckily these bad boys are large and easily visible, so simply swim around them.

However, what we recommend, especially if they do tend to freak you out a bit, is next time you see one, swim up to it and duck down and take a look. Spend a bit of time examining it from all angles. See how they swim. Understand them a bit. This will definitely increase your confidence from then on each time you come across them.