Snorkeling - Cococay and Jelly Fish

[jhmoore143]

We will be there next week and plan on snorkeling on Cococay - weather permitting - and have not read or heard anything about jelly fish down there. On the Atlantic Coast (North Florida) they are pretty plentiful.

 

Is there anything (besides a rash guard) that we should bring in case we run into some. Right now, all we have are t-shirt rash guards. We didnt think we needed full suits at this time.

 

Is this a serious concern or are they not much of a problem?

[jjrabbits]

My daughter and I were both "stung" by something snorkeling in Coco Cay a few weeks ago. We didn't see any jellies, and I know I was in the grass when I got mine, so it may have been something else. It took a day or so to go away- no big deal. I had bought Jelly Fish Sting meds from Leisurepro before going on our cruise, because my daughter will find a jelly fish when nobody else does:( It worked pretty well, but didn't last long so had to reapply often.

Renee

[jhmoore143]

I didn't get stung by anything - but my wife got "stung" in the "grass" as well. As soon as we got out of the water, we went to the first aid stand and sprayed some vinegar on it. It was fine shortly after that.

 

I don't think anything was in the grass. I think it was the grass itself. Like some land-based grass that has mini-prickly edges, I think that is what was in the marine grass.

 

We didn't see any jelly-fish and I (personally) swam the entire perimeter from the rocks on the right (near the cannon) following the rope-line to the plane and then through the rocks on the left to the deeper area and out to the rope-line out there. In fact, the only jellyfish we saw was at the Aquarium in Atlantis. . .

[w&k]

I didn't get stung by anything - but my wife got "stung" in the "grass" as well. As soon as we got out of the water, we went to the first aid stand and sprayed some vinegar on it. It was fine shortly after that.

 

I don't think anything was in the grass. I think it was the grass itself. Like some land-based grass that has mini-prickly edges, I think that is what was in the marine grass.

 

We didn't see any jelly-fish and I (personally) swam the entire perimeter from the rocks on the right (near the cannon) following the rope-line to the plane and then through the rocks on the left to the deeper area and out to the rope-line out there. In fact, the only jellyfish we saw was at the Aquarium in Atlantis. . .

 

It's not the seagrass that stung you - it's just a plant. However, there are numerous critters live on and around the blades that can sting a little bit. Most of the critters that 'sting' are small and delicate, and the 'sting' you feel is either their feeding or defense mechanisms.

 

Last time I was on CocoCay and did a bit of snorkeling, I saw two species of seagrass: turtle grass, which has wide, flat blades that look like ribbon (Thalassia), and manatee grass, which has narrow, round blades, and looks like a thick piece of fishing line (Syringodium).

 

Seagrass beds provide shelter and food for many critters, and for many more in their juvenile stages. Seagrass beds are some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet.

 

Here's a link to some more seagrass information if you're interested. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/Fish/southflorida/seagrass/profiles.html

 

Yes, I'm a marine biologist, if you have not figured that out already. :D

 

Wendy

[jhmoore143]

Thanks for that heads up. I think it was the turtle grass where she got "bit". . .

[J_oak717]

We saw plenty of Jelly Fish this past Sunday (July 19th). They were in the warmer part of the snorkeling area. When we went to the deep part and the temp dropped about 5-10 degrees, we didn't see a single one. Both my son and I were stung. Applied the vinegar from the First Aide shack and that worked just fine

[Cruisesquatch]

I also was stung on my back by something in CocoCay last year, in September.

It didnt bother me right away just kind of red and splotchy. But a few hours later it started to burn and even itch slightly. I had a friend with me who has some medical experience and at first he thought it was simple sunburn, but then as he looked at it later, he figured it looked more like a sting since it was splotchy and not uniform, almost looking like a rash...but with a few lines radiating out at the edges. And I was also in the grass, so I thought maybe I'd had some type of reaction to it.

Still not sure what it was but I would liken the pain level to a good sunburn. After about 3 days, I was fine. Didnt let it bother me too much. A couple of drinks and I was fine.:cool:

[Socref124]

It's not the seagrass that stung you - it's just a plant. However, there are numerous critters live on and around the blades that can sting a little bit. Most of the critters that 'sting' are small and delicate, and the 'sting' you feel is either their feeding or defense mechanisms.

 

Last time I was on CocoCay and did a bit of snorkeling, I saw two species of seagrass: turtle grass, which has wide, flat blades that look like ribbon (Thalassia), and manatee grass, which has narrow, round blades, and looks like a thick piece of fishing line (Syringodium).

 

Seagrass beds provide shelter and food for many critters, and for many more in their juvenile stages. Seagrass beds are some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet.

 

Here's a link to some more seagrass information if you're interested. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/Fish/southflorida/seagrass/profiles.html

 

Yes, I'm a marine biologist, if you have not figured that out already. :D

 

Wendy

 

Hey Wendy, Is the diving worth it in CoCo Cay? Also, is there a reputable dive operator in Nassau that you are aware of? Thanks for any and all info.

[w&k]

(whoops, now I see the Monarch in your signature)

 

Mark & Laurie-

 

Well, it all depends on what you define as 'worth it.' At this point, my gills are dried out, and I would almost be willing to dive in a mud puddle.

 

We did the CocoCay dive a few years ago, and I would be quite happy to do it again. However, I would not bother hauling full gear to do it - just my mask and a weight belt with pockets. Also, I don't do sun very well, so snorkeling is limited time for me, and beach isn't even in the equation.

 

In Nassau, Stuart's Cove seems to be the place to go. Our dive through there was a typical cattleboat experience, but it beat an afternoon of shopping.

 

If you are up for an adventure, try their afternoon shark dive - it gets good reviews, but is a bit pricey. Usually, when we do the short cruises, we take Keith's dad, and hang out with him. I'm definitely going to do that shark dive on one of these trips when I can get away.

 

One of the gals I work with did a land trip, and dove with Stuart's Cove. For three days, their group had their own boat, dove their computers, and went to great sites. The last day, they didn't have enough folks, and they got mixed into another trip that sounded just like mine - the cattleboat special.

 

So... imho:

 

If you don't have anything else to do on CocoCay and are planning on getting up early, definitely go diving.

 

If you can do the shark dive in Nassau, do it. Otherwise, if a cattleboat sounds better than your other alternatives, give it a try.

 

Have a great time whatever you decide to do!

 

Wendy

 

webpage

http://www.freewebs.com/wendyandkeith/

 

pix

http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith

[Indydivecruiser]

I have dove Coco Cay several times. It can separate the men from the boys and I'm a chick. We had a guy once show up with all sorts of gear even a pony bottle but, he only made it the first 20 yards on the surface swim and quit. He was a big boy and a heart attack waiting to happen.

 

You see, the surface swim is a good 100 yards or at least it seems like it. I love it, a great form of morning exercise and I do mean morning, you're the first ones off the ship! So no wild partying the night before. There are usually many no shows because of this (profit machine). They may have a jet ski with a safety person on board to pull you out to the buoy or back to the beach, check on this. The buoy marker for the start of the dive is beyond the large rock pile, to the left, as you stand on the first beach.

 

It's a fun little dive if you are skilled at looking for macro life, if you're looking for big stuff you'll be disappointed. However, a couple of years ago before the turn around we saw a couple of those notorious lionfish. I wonder how many are there now?

[Socref124]

Wendy and Indy, thanks for your replys. We want to do a dive in Nassau, but, RCCL isn't offering one and Stuart's will not take us because of their contract with RCCL.:( Looks like Coco Cay will be our only choice.