07-04-2025
Bucket of water highlights deadly beach threat facing 'complacent' Aussies
"Complacent" Australians and tourists are being urged not to risk their lives as they enter Queensland's waters during the Easter holidays. Lifeguards in Far North Queensland say deadly box jellyfish are now fully grown at this time of year and entering the water outside of the nets could cost you your life.
"We are coming up to the time of year where lifeguards unfortunately start to see people becoming complacent and swim outside the netted areas," Far North Queensland Lifesavers explained.
"On a calm day box jellyfish can be found right along the water's edge, feeding on shrimp and bait fish. Do not risk your life."
Far North Queensland Lifeguards shared video of a sample of ocean water filled with juvenile shrimp and krill, showing just how favourable the conditions are for box jellyfish.
Director of the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services and jellyfish expert, Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin, told Yahoo News last week box jellyfish have "absolutely earned" the title of the world's most venomous animal.
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Box jellyfish are found in tropical coastal waters and reside around the country's northern coastline, from Western Australia along to Queensland. In Queensland they are active until late May when the waters cool, prompting lifeguards to remind beachgoers of the deadly threat.
While James Cook University Professor Jamie Seymour told the ABC numbers had rapidly declined in the north of the state around Cairns, believed to be a result of 2023's Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, box jellyfish are still being caught further south. In January, lifesavers at Eimeo Beach at Mackay caught eight box jellyfish during one routine check.
Their venomous stings have caused at least 70 known deaths in Aussie waters since records began in the 1880s, according to Australian Geographic. Far North Queensland Lifeguards said two young people had died in recent years in the state due to box jellyfish stings.
Box jellyfish have about 60 venomous tentacles which can measure up to three metres in length. Gershwin says people who are stung can often get tangled in the tentacles.
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Stings feel like an electrocution or like hot oil being poured onto the skin with vinegar a vital way to combat impacted areas on the body.
"Vinegar neutralises the stinging cells from injecting more venom into your skin, and you want to stop every single one of them possible," Gershwin explained.
"If you're over the lethal sting threshold, it isn't going to do anything. But the thing is, you're not going to know in the moment, so you need to flood the area with vinegar and seek medical assistance as quickly as possible."
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