“ We have never seen anything like such ”: Delaware beach enthusiasts swear that they feel more than ever tingling the jellyfish

The captains of the beach patrol reported a spectacular increase in the activity and jellyfish bites in July, the most they saw in recent memory. Lewes Beach reported a quadruple increase in bites compared to 2024.

Lion’s manes, which can have 100 -foot tentacles (30 meters), sea nettles and moon jellyfish are varieties that frequent the summer waters of Delaware.

The flowers of jellyfish have become common from Maine to Florida in recent years. Getting water can create ideal conditions for the growth of jellyfish.

Normally, the five state parks of Delaware can report a handful of summer jellyfish bites, said Bailey Noel, beach patrol captain. But Fenwick Island State Park recently reported 92 bites in a single day in July. Three rescuers were put into urgent care after swaming in infested jellyfish waters, said Noel.

The jellyfish at Towers in Delaware beach surprised Christina Jones, resident of Philadelphia, whose two girls refused to return to the water after being stung, she said.

“The jellyfish is quite bad,” said Jones. “And not only are they a lot in number, but they are quite large.”

Delaware State Beach Patrol began to follow the jellyfish bites this year due to the increase in cases, said Noel. Most patrol teams do not follow the data.

Lewes Beach Patrol treated 295 bites in 2024, the first year, the data was collected, but reported more than 1,200 cases so far in 2025, said Captain Strohm Edwards. Rescuers have started to transport vinegar solutions, which can neutralize venom agents, to help mitigate the pain, he said.

But vinegar solutions can cause microscopic beards coated with venom called nematocysts to discharge, according to certain research. These experts recommend a soda bicarbonate suspension.

While poisonous, the sting of the manes of the Delaware lion and sea ortiles generally only do irritations and minor pain, said Edwards. In the event of serious allergic reactions and symptoms – nausea, vomiting and difficulty breathing – rescuers can help.

The flowers of jellyfish, the sudden fluctuations of the populations of jellyfish, are not uncommon, said Gisele Muller-Parker, a retired marine biologist who would have dozens of lion’s mane jellyers during his daily walks on Lewes beach in July. The temperature, salinity and availability of food influence the breeding of jellyfish and, under favorable conditions, such as warmer waters, populations can explode.

“This year, we have never seen anything like it,” said Muller-Parker.

The jellyfish were towards the end of their life cycle, ending their reproduction phase and laying their eggs. These jellyfish will die once water temperatures are cool, said Keith Bayha, a research collaborator with the Smithsonian National Institution Museum of Natural History.

The jellyfish boom can harm ecosystems and marine industries, said Bayha, who has studied animals for over 20 years and has helped to identify a kind of nettle. Fish larvae feed mainly on plankton, but jellyfish can eat both plankton and fish. And with few natural predators, the jellyfish food chain is an ecological impasse, said Bayha.

The Boom of Delaware this summer is far from alone. The county of Volusia in Florida reported hundreds of bites around the Memorial Day weekend. Gloucester, Massachusetts, reminded the beach beach to stay safe around jellyfish in mid-July. And in June, the Maine’s Ogunquit fire service warned the beach guards of the jellyfish increase after the bites were reported.

The research on jellyfish is limited, but Muller-Parker hopes that more work will be done to assess the ecological ramifications of jellyfish flowers and improve security opinions.

For the moment, some unlucky beach enthusiasts will have to count on home remedies and, in the case of the nephew of the third year of Kathy Maloy-Hardeur, resident of Massachusetts, a small bravery.

“When he was stung, he jumped and started to cry and said:” I never come back to the beach “,” said Maloy-Hardeur, who had to try two stores to find vinegar for him. But she said that after talking about it “and once the bite calmed down, it was interested in coming back and enjoying the beach.”

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Whittle reported in Portland, Maine.