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Anytime you travel to a beach and swim in the ocean, you take the risk of being stung by a jellyfish. This well-known invertebrate is especially prominent off the shores of one Georgia island. According to WSB-TV, beach goers at Tybee Island got stung nearly 300 times on Saturday. Though this number is higher than average, it does not hold the record for the most jellyfish stings that were reported on the island in a single day.
Captain David Bowen of the Tybee Island Fire Department told WSB-TV that the record stands at 434 stings reported in one day.
“We treat anywhere from 150-250 stings a day on average. Weekends tend to see the most stings but increased number of beach goers on weekends also plays a factor into that,” he shared.
So, why are there so many jellyfish swimming near the shores of Tybee Island this weekend?
"There was a strong easterly wind, that’s wind blowing east to the west towards Tybee Island offshore, so it’s likely there were schools of jellyfish out there offshore, and they blew in there with the wind and the weather over the past couple of weeks,” Public Information Officer Tyler Jones explained to WTOC regarding the reason for the high number of reported stings.
Officials recommend that beach goers take awareness of their surroundings before stepping onto the sand by the shore, or swimming in certain areas.