Giant Jellyfish Sightings On The Rise At MA Beaches

BOSTON — With temperatures set to hit the 90s this weekend, a dip in the Atlantic Ocean might sound like a refreshing idea. But people should mind their surroundings because a type of jellyfish with long, stinging tentacles has been seen at multiple locations along the Massachusetts coast this week.

The lion's mane jellyfish, named for its flowing tentacles, has been spotted at beaches near Salem, Swampscott, Boston and along Cape Cod. In Duxbury this week, multiple swimmers were stung. The harbormaster in Hingham issued a warning about the jellyfish.

"On at least one occasion, a Hingham resident was stung and experienced something similar to a brief electric shock followed by a stinging sensation," harbormaster Kenneth Corson III said in a news release. "Please exercise caution when swimming, or consider avoiding the water during jellyfish season."

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation sounded the alarm Saturday after the jellyfish were seen at a beach in Nahant. At state beaches, officials will plant purple flags to warn swimmers if the dangerous marine creatures are active.

While lion's mane jellyfish are unpleasant, they aren't life-threatening. If you come into contact one, you'll feel a tingling sensation, almost like when your leg falls asleep — but very painful. The potentially deadly box jellyfish does not live in this part of the Atlantic Ocean.

There is one reliable remedy for jellyfish stings. The Hingham harbormaster said that the resident who was stung successfully treated her wound with vinegar, which has been proven to take the sting out.

It's unclear if there are more lion's mane jellyfish around this year, but New England Aquarium senior aquarist Chris Doller told CBS Boston that the creatures are now noticeably bigger.

"They’re getting really large," he told the station.

Even with this week's sightings — and stingings — we've haven't yet topped the most infamous jellyfish mass-stinging in recent New England history.

In 2010, about 150 people were stung by a single lion's mane jellyfish the size of a turkey platter at Wallis Sands State Beach in New Hampshire. The event occurred when parks employees tried to break up the jellyfish's body, sending dozens of gelatinous chunks into the swimming area.