Stung

A coworker was stung last weekend (July 25-ish) by a jellyfish, but I still envy her.

Due to some miscommunication or lack of communication between another coworker and I, I was stuck at camp on the weekend. Me being stuck here, by the way, was entirely my fault. Anyway, while I was here doing not much, my coworkers were swimming at Kyeongpo Beach in Gangneung. The water was murky because of recent rain they did not notice the jellyfish until one was stung.

I do not know if they used vinegar or urine or what to relieve the sting.

Elgin, at the Marmot's Hole, has found that global warming and overfishing are causing larger blooms of jellyfish around the world.

From his post:

...filefish — a natural predator of jellyfish — have been over-fished around Korea to the point where jellyfish have flourished...

and from the New York Times article he links to:

The warmer seas and drier climate caused by global warming work to the jellyfish’s advantage, since nearly all jellyfish breed better and faster in warmer waters, according to Dr. Jennifer Purcell, a jellyfish expert at the Shannon Point Marine Center of Western Washington University.

Okay, now global warming is getting serious. If it interferes with my swimming, its got to be fixed.

My coworker is fine, now.

Once again, a jellyfish bloom

From the Times, a yearly warning of jellyfish.

The article says the jellyfish grow to around two metres in diameter so I am confused by the picture unless the diver on the left side is a child.

I know jellyfish are carnivorous and can eat fish, but I wonder if the jellyfish are being used a scapegoats for overfishing by humans.

Other posts about jellyfish at Gangwon Notes can be found here.

Red Jellyfish

I know the white or translucent ones I see are safe, or relatively safe, but this red one, found in Cheongcho Lake, just looks dangerous. Most of the jellyfish I see have been pounded by surf along shore and have probably already fired their cnematocysts (I am not sure about the spelling but I mean the poison darts carried in their tentacles); this one looks hale and ready for trouble.

Melissa asked about the jellyfish that Koreans eat and I have no idea what kind is eaten. I once bought Hae-pari mustard with bits of jellyfish in it, but again, I don't know what kind it was.

By the way, Pari can mean 'insect' in Korean. Is haepari (해파리) 'ocean insect'?

Click on the images to enlarge.

Chuseok weekend: jellyfish and allergies

KwandongWife is working (a lot) so we aren't travelling this weekend.

KwandongAlex and I went to the beach on Friday afternoon and had a great time -it's a shame that he is getting comfortable in the water at the end of the season. We swam again on Saturday, spending several hours there.

The strange thing was the beach was full of moon-jellies on Friday, but they were entirely absent on Saturday.Photo from Chemistry and Biology.

On Saturday night, I drank some water and tried to swish it around in my mouth and ended up spilling some on my shirt. Today, Sunday, my face is partially swollen and tight feeling. My left eyelid feels heavy and closes easily. My right eyelid, in contrast feels tight and takes effort to close - it stings much of the time and I sometimes hold the eyelid down with my finger. I don't think I am slurring my words but my lips feel the same way; the left side is heavy and the left side is tight. Oh, don't panic, loyal reader; I have a few allergies and blame them for the swelling and such - I don't think I have had a stroke or anything to affect one side of my face.

I went to the hospital and got two needles - Ketaricin and Dexa - and a few pills, but have noticed no change in my condition.

KwandongAlex was as understanding as a three year old can be and we spent most of the day at home and at a nearby playground.

Jellyfish

Found in Cheongcho Lake next to ferryboat racecourse.

At the beach

Although I am at camp now, I was able to get home for the weekend and see the wife and little one. Care for little ones being what it is, I found myself awake before 7:00am Sunday morning so went to Sokcho beach for an hour.

The beach in the morning is a remarkable place. At 7:30, there were almost equal numbers heading home as arriving and the restaurants were still serving pork and soju. It is entirely possible that beach sand should be pure white and the gold colour comes from the quantity of beer spilled on it; man, that morning beach smelled like a brewery.

While swimming, I found 10,000won and a set of car keys. I investigated a lot of other junk while swimming the length of the beach a few times. Swimming for exercise that early in the morning can be annoying but the sun was hidden on Sunday by thick clouds so I wasn't dazzled.

I saw several fish and one jellyfish, which I know from past experience is a harmless species.