Sea lice. Yuck!

[DznyCrzy11]

Oh my goodness, I have never heard of such a thing!!!! I'm sure glad I found this thread, sea safe is something else I'll have to add to my packing list!!!!

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[twopeasonepod]

Lastly, if it's still really worrying you to a point where you might not enjoy your holiday, a wet suit for your child would work as they keep the skin dry.

Actually, a wet suit doesn't keep you dry. The water that enters is warmed by your body heat, which is how you stay warm. Obviously, the looser the fit, the colder you can get. I don't think a wet suit would keep sea lice out, and may in fact, trap them in there.

There is something called a dry suit, which I believe is for colder diving and such (not surfing). It is super tight at the neck, so water can't get in. Air is actually what keeps you warm, and air is warmer than water. But I don't even know where to buy one of those and I imagine they are much more expensive and not worth it for just one day at CC.

 

[scrapshappen]

I did a little reading about this on the Florida DOH's website. It says that this is primarily an issue (in Florida at least) from March to August. We are going on our cruise in November. Does anyone have any experience with this being a problem at Castaway Cay from September to February?

 

[jcriket]

We go in May every year, and no one has ever had a problem, with sea lice Occasionally we have issues at home in Clearwater. It's not too bad, it never stops us from going back in the water. It's more of an irritation in the bathing suit area. One time at Castaway Cay I did get some serious stings, but I know I did something stupid, I sat on the top of the submarine to adjust that stupid life vest they make you wear. When I got back the stings still stung off and on about a week later, with a nasty rash. After a bit of research on the web, I think it was fire coral. It grows on structures, and looks like blotches of paint. When snorkeling just remember not to touch, or stand on anything (or sit) It's not that easy to do any of that anyhow, it seems everything is deep enough that you can't. except the submarine. As tempting as it might be I wouldn't touch Mickey mouse either.

 

[Lyonsmamma]

Oh, I am so scared now! I am horribly allergic to sand flea bites. They completely ignore my husband, but I get covered with horrible bites that last for weeks on end. So are sand fleas at CC too or just the lice?

 

[twopeasonepod]

Oh, I am so scared now! I am horribly allergic to sand flea bites. They completely ignore my husband, but I get covered with horrible bites that last for weeks on end. So are sand fleas at CC too or just the lice?

Yeah, it was miserable. All over my legs.

 

[cakiesmom]

Hello,

I did not want to cause a stir . We will still get into the water but I do remember these little stings felt like a small jellyfish sting and was uncomfortable enough to leave the water in one area. I main family beach as CC was still fine. soo... I'll try the special suntan lotion and see what happens. under the might not help but probably won't hurt rule

 

[Ravenne]

Hello,

I did not want to cause a stir . We will still get into the water but I do remember these little stings felt like a small jellyfish sting and was uncomfortable enough to leave the water in one area. I main family beach as CC was still fine. soo... I'll try the special suntan lotion and see what happens. under the might not help but probably won't hurt rule

Oh, heavens no! I'm SO glad you brought it up! I wouldn't have known otherwise. Like I said, I live in a land locked state, so it's not like I have much experience with jellyfish lol. There's not much of those 'round here that's not in a controlled environment like an aquarium. I'd rather be in the know and be as prepared as possible. I'm traveling with kids, and with kids, you just never know how they will react to things like that. They could be allergic, or they could be just fine. I'd rather be prepared than to have it ruin our vacation especially since we're planning on spending a few days at WDW after our cruise. It's not like we're getting off the ship and heading straight home to deal with it. Our vacation is only half over when we get off the ship. So, thank you for mentioning it and for the discussion.

 

[YoungGangMom]

We have been to Jamaica for a week and they have sand fleas. My kids and I used mosquito repellent and maybe got one bite. My friend used none and had about 40. So on the repellent, but reapply after you get out of the water.

I'm totally freaked about the sea lice and though, first I have heard of it and might decide to stay out of the water.

 

[jimsubry]

It says that this is primarily an issue (in Florida at least) from March to August

We're going the very last week of August....hopefully when the sea lice season is winding down, ha ha. Anyone ever have any trouble with them at that time of year at CC?

I did buy a bottle of the Safe Sea stuff, though, just in case, from their official website. They shipped super quickly, I received it within 2-3 days without any expedited shipping.

 

[conandrob240]

Regular bug spray, sprayed before being on the sand, repels sand fleas.

Our bad experience with sea lice on CC was end of August (last week)

 

[ajgardner]

As nervous as this makes me I am glad to hear about this ahead of time, I don't like surprises.

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[Ravenne]

Are sand fleas a problem in Nassau, specifically, Blue Lagoon?

 

[mrslaney]

Basically, what I've learned out of this thread is, go swimming in my Thanksgiving "fat" clothes, and borrow some Frontline from my dog and I should be set.

ROTFL! I'm right there with you!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Actually, a wet suit doesn't keep you dry. The water that enters is warmed by your body heat, which is how you stay warm. Obviously, the looser the fit, the colder you can get. I don't think a wet suit would keep sea lice out, and may in fact, trap them in there.

There is something called a dry suit, which I believe is for colder diving and such (not surfing). It is super tight at the neck, so water can't get in. Air is actually what keeps you warm, and air is warmer than water. But I don't even know where to buy one of those and I imagine they are much more expensive and not worth it for just one day at CC.

You are correct - a wet suit won't keep you dry. Apologies for the incorrect statement. I think what I was trying to say (albeit poorly) it's that it will stop water flooding in against your body.

I do, however, stick by my suggestion of wearing a wetsuit. I was trying to contradict some earlier suggestions of wearing baggy clothing.

Like a pp poster said you can sometimes see sea lice (they are tiny specs which make the water a little bit hazy), but by the time you see them it is usually too late. If you swim into them with a big billowing t-shirt, or loose gaping swimmers, the openings in your clothing are acting like the opening of a funnel or net allowing potentially hundreds of sea lice to be funnelled in against your skin. The minute you move in a way that traps the sea lice (kick your legs, stand up in the water, turn over, wipe your arms against your side etc etc etc) the sea lice could sting.

The sea lice are too big to filter through the fabric of the wetsuit, so while they might sting at the wetsuit openings (wrist and neck) it's less likely they will reach other areas of your body.

From what I understand, the next best thing to wearing a full body wetsuit, is wearing nothing at all. Lol, now that would be a sight to behold at Castaway Cay.

 

[Dug720]

FWIW we had no issues with them at all on July 13 at Serenity Bay.

 

[Narnia_girl]

I wish there was a poll taken, particularly at Castaway Cay, that measured how many people actually had sea lice stings. It would be helpful for swimmers to know the risk.

 

[LemonPie]

We were in Cabo last spring and friend's DD was stung pretty badly by adult jellyfish. First aide responders on the beach squirted it all down with, wait for it ...Windex. Who would have thunk. Some college kids did offer to pee on it for her, no thanks. The paramedics then gave us packaged Windex wipes to use if the stinging came back. I will pack some of those for our trip and wipe any areas that feel stung. They worked great.

 

[DznyCrzy11]

I did a little reading about this on the Florida DOH's website. It says that this is primarily an issue (in Florida at least) from March to August. We are going on our cruise in November. Does anyone have any experience with this being a problem at Castaway Cay from September to February?

Amyone know the answer or have visited CC from Sept to Feb? We're going in Sept, will actually be at CC 5 weeks from today!!! Hopefully the sea lice and sand fleas have calmed down by then!!

Hello,

I did not want to cause a stir . We will still get into the water but I do remember these little stings felt like a small jellyfish sting and was uncomfortable enough to leave the water in one area. I main family beach as CC was still fine. soo... I'll try the special suntan lotion and see what happens. under the might not help but probably won't hurt rule

No, don't worry about that!!! I am so glad you posted this thread. I have never even heard of sea lice or sand fleas but now I know and can go prepared. We are doing a 4 night resort stay after our cruise and I would hate to arrive with bug bites all over!!!

We have been to Jamaica for a week and they have sand fleas. My kids and I used mosquito repellent and maybe got one bite. My friend used none and had about 40. So on the repellent, but reapply after you get out of the water.

I'm totally freaked about the sea lice and though, first I have heard of it and might decide to stay out of the water.

That's good to know!! I'm going to look for a bug repellent/sunscreen combo. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

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[ImDMous]

We've been to CC twice, both times the first week of May. Never had any problems with sea lice or sand fleas. We were snorkeling in the main area and the Ray area and on the beach and in the water at Serenity Bay. Usually I'm a flea magnet, maybe we got lucky or maybe it isn't that big of a problem.