GALVESTON, Texas – The Gulf of Mexico is no stranger to schools of jellyfish, but this time of year these marine critters tend to become more prevalent. Galveston Beach Patrol officials reported a jump in jellyfish stings this week.
"It's real, real choppy right now and you can't see them and they just sting you," said Robert Hodson. "I got stung 4 times."
Galveston beach patrol officials reported 200 jellyfish stings on Thursday; a large increase over the average number of stings reported daily during the summer.
"Normally on a summer day we may have 20 stings in the whole day," said Peter Davis, chief of the Galveston Beach Patrol. "It was our first day of, probably in two years, we've had jelly fish. We had almost none all of last year."
Beach patrol started flying a "purple flag" on Thursday, which indicates the presence of potentially stinging marine life. By Friday, the jellyfish were gone and the flag taken down.
"They all come from the Caribbean on currents, so it all depends on which way those currents are going," said Davis.
Davis advises that if a person is stung to flush the area with saline and then put ice or ointment on it to help with the pain. Davis said rubbing or scratching a sting will only make it worse.
To find out the conditions on Galveston beaches go to www.galvestonislandbeachpatrol.com and sign up for text or email alerts.