The Dark (i.e. stinging) Side of the Cayman Islands

Well folks I have finally encountered the dark side of the Caribbean isle I now call home. It turns out it’s not all pina coladas, sunshine, white sand and crystal blue water (to be fair, it’s still mostly that).  

I was naively oblivious to the evil lurking beneath the calm waters of the island until recently, when I was surprised, nay ravaged, by the linuche unguiculata aka Thimble Jellyfish larvae. Locally known (rather unimaginatively) as “sea itch”.

A thimble jellyfish, unlike a teacup
pig eating ice cream,  is not cute

Now, adding “thimble” to the start of the Jellyfish name I suspect was a devious attempt to make these little buggers sound cute – much like “teacup” pigs - but do not be fooled – these invisible little bastards are far from it. As it turns out, the larvae contain the same nematocysts (stinging cells) as their jellyfish parents, which they fire off when they come into contact with things, namely me.


These teeny tiny weapons of evil float around the Caribbean sea in clouds or “blooms” (again, just because you name it after a flower, doesn't make it pleasant) and are most prevalent along Caribbean coastlines in April and May. Apparently a Bahamian old wives tale warns against ocean swimming between Mothers Day and Fathers Day. Would have been nice information to have before I went swimming in the Caribbean in late April! 

Seaweed in Grand Cayman?! I should have known
there was evil afoot.....

It seems they are also commonly found around seaweed. And so it was that one Sunday afternoon I headed to the beach for a sunset swim with friends. We marvelled at the seaweed on the sand (noting that I don't think I’ve ever seen seaweed in the water in Cayman before – normally it’s pure white sand and crystal clear water for days - yes, feel free to hate me - you'll enjoy the karmic justice of this story if you keep reading) not knowing the evil that it concealed beneath the surface. 

After the first swim, I felt an itching and mildly stinging sensation around my bikini top. No worries, I thought, I’ll go back in and rinse off whatever it is. This was my first mistake. It turns out, the larvae get stuck in between swimmers and skin and when that happens, they fire off stingers. As you can't see them, the first warning you get is the initial mild itchiness. The best course of action at this time is leaving the water. Not, as it turns out, going back in for round two. 

Do you know what makes it worse? Rubbing the material. Know what I did? Rubbed the material. Do you knoww what also makes it worse and sets off more stingers? Rinsing in fresh water. Guess what I did immediately after the swim? Went home and jumped in the shower. And so it was that I spent a week covered in stinging, itchy red welts. You could literally make out the line of my bikini top by the red markings and my skin resembled the surface of planet Mars - red, hot and inhospitable to man. 

While this photo is taken from the
internet, my suffering is not dissimilar

And just when you think I'm at the end of my sorry tale, let me impart one additional pearl of wisdom to my Caribbean-based friends: If you do have the misfortune to get stung, I would HIGHLY recommend that you wash your swimmers in boiling water, set fire to them or throw them into the fiery pit of a live volcano in order to kill the stingers before you put them back on again. Should you fail to take this basic but necessary precautionary step, you may well find that when you put the swimmers back on and go back in the water a week later.....the bastards have survived and it happens all over again. 

Caribbean swimmers beware....