Jellyfish spell disaster for bathers in the Med

The arrival of thousands of dangerous jellyfish cause problems for holiday makers along the Med.

Travel Insurance News - 16/08/2006

<< New passports are to include expensive technology to help se | Travel News | Major overhaul of scuba diving is called for >>

Swimming bans were imposed at beaches across the Med during August as the arrival of stinging jellyfish frighten bathers away. The ban affects some of Spain's most popular resorts on the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa Brava, Italy and the Baleriac Islands.

The stinging jellyfish have been making their way towards the coast from Spain to Sicily and hundreds have washed up on the beaches. A marine biologist in Ancona says the water temperature has created an ideal breeding ground for the stingers and allowed the jellyfish to migrate north from Africa. Hundreds of bathers were stung at Torremolinas in one day. The Spanish Red Cross has treated around 19,000 people with stings so far this summer on the Costa Brava which is almost 3 times as many as last year. The jellyfish are bright purple and emit a yellow glow at night, their sting is painful and can cause heart failure in extreme cases.

<< New passports are to include expensive technology to help se | Travel News | Major overhaul of scuba diving is called for >>