Jellyfish spotted at beaches in south of France: how to check which beaches are safe
Interactive maps can show where they have been noted in recent days
Jellyfish are often seen In the Mediterranean during the summer months
Quintanilla / Shutterstock
Jellyfish have been seen along several beaches in the south of France in recent days, with authorities warning swimmers to be cautious when entering waters.
Jellyfish are present in stretches of water along a number of public beaches in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region, from Marseille to Monaco and the Italian border.
Crowdsourcing efforts to highlight the beaches where they have been seen are now in place using several interactive maps.
Despite the warnings, authorities are not overly concerned as the arrival of the Pelagia noctiluca jellyfish along beaches in the south is a natural occurrence.
The jellyfish’s natural habitat is the Mediterranean, and several events can cause them to come close to beaches throughout the year.
Some other species have also been reported.
Stings from the species which have been noted can be painful but are not fatal, however their presence can sometimes lead to beaches being temporarily closed.
This was the case at Ponteil beach near Antibes on Saturday (May 31).
Read more: Thousands of jellyfish wash up on Brittany beaches
Check if beach near you affected
Most of the beaches where jellyfish have been noted are near Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) and on beaches further east up to the Italian border in the Alpes-Maritimes department.
A list of beaches where the animals have been spotted can be found on the ‘frequence-sud’ website.
It offers an interactive map showing the affected areas.
The site also asks its visitors to alert them to the presence of jellyfish at beaches in the south.
This can be done using geolocation technology, with the website able to work out which beach you are on based on the location of your phone when you connect to the site. Note this is optional, you can manually enter the information also.
A second interactive map is available from Acri-ST, with an accompanying smartphone application.
In cases where beaches are closed due to the presence of jellyfish, signage should make this clear to visitors.
If stung by one of the jellyfish, the advice is to rinse the sting with sea (not fresh) water and remove any tentacles that may be present.
Do this with an object and not your bare hands.
The area where stung should not be rubbed.
For severe stings rinse the wound with vinegar or warm sea water – contrary to some views urine does not neutralise a jellyfish sting.
It is unlikely a visit to the hospital will be necessary, unless stung in the face or eyes.
