Jellyfish alert at Cape Town beaches
PRETTY DANGEROUS: Pink and purple jellyfish PRETTY DANGEROUS: Pink and purple jellyfish
Thousands of jellyfish have been seen swimming along Western Cape beaches and authorities have warned mense to stay away from them as their sting is poisonous and possibly life-threatening if you are allergic.
The swarms have been a sight to behold as the beautiful pink and purple jellyfish glow.
Facebook users have posted pictures of the jellyfish at Muizenberg, Strand, Gordon’s Bay, Steenbras River Mouth, Pringle Bay and Struisbaai.
Marine biologist, Dr. Alison Kock, says jellyfish visiting our shores on such a large scale is actually not that rare.
“Jellyfish swarms of various species are quite common along our coast and result from a combination of favourable water temperatures, wind and current conditions.
“These jellyfish can give a nasty sting, but are not serious or life-threatening, unless someone is allergic to them and then medical attention should be sought.
“They are called night light jellyfish because they bio-luminesce, i.e. glow in the dark,” Dr. Kock said.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt, says strong winds have a big influence on where the jellyfish end up.
“Jellyfish are planktonic, which means that although they are able to swim, their direction and destination is highly influenced by the ocean currents in deeper waters and they swim in large shoals.
"Their presence on the beaches and river mouths is a result of the strong winds and swells which pulled them in from the deeper waters onto our shores,” Nieuwoudt said.