Got out for a bit today and while I was planning to try some better turns, I looked down and saw BIG jellyfish f***ing everywhere! I think my skeg kept hitting them but the lifeguards didn't seem phased by my being out amongst them. Is this a common occurrence? Are they dangerous at all? Cheers.

Select to expand quote

WindNoob said..
Got out for a bit today and while I was planning to try some better turns, I looked down and saw BIG jellyfish f***ing everywhere! I think my skeg kept hitting them but the lifeguards didn't seem phased by my being out amongst them. Is this a common occurrence? Are they dangerous at all? Cheers.

These things!!!

They are Blue Blubber jellyfish and yes it is a common occurrence this time of year. You can get a mild sting but the sting cells are not exposed so generally you won't get stung. They are not dangerous.

We call it Jelly-soup. The sting is a bit fierce but it isn't too much to worry about - wear a wetsuit and booties.

They tend to go in clumps. You can stay on the inside by turning back when you see the first jelly, or ride on through then stay on the outside.
They're kind of fun. It's a bit like riding through a pool full of pumpkins. I keep the foil high and bounce of the top of them. Lots of badoomp, badoomp, badoomp. ;-)

Man, every time I went to turn I was peaking out- probably kept me out of the drink more than usual, though!

After having to swim through them to rescue the wife after her first windsurfing lesson (still a success), I asked the staff at the Melbourne aquarium:
Moon Jelly The Moon Jelly is a common ocean animal and can sometimes be extremely abundant. It has a transparent jelly-like bell with four horseshoe-shaped, pinkish reproductive organs that surround a square mouth. At each corner of the mouth a feeding tentacle hangs down into the water below.HabitatMoon Jellies live in oceans, coastal waters and estuaries. Moon Jellies are found throughout Australia. At each corner of the mouth in Moon Jellies a feeding tentacle hangs down into the water below. These are equipped with stinging cells (nematocysts) to capture small prey that are dragged inward towards the mouth.Other behaviours and adaptationsThe outer edge of the Moon Jelly's bell also has tentacles, as well as eight special sensory organs that tell the jellyfish where it is in the water column. Currents may sweep many of these jellyfish into sheltered bays and they are often washed up on beaches.PredatorsThe Moon Jelly is one of the favourite foods of many species of turtles

They're not Moon Jellies. The tentacles are wrong.

They appear to be Blue Blubbers.

portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/7757

Further to that after swimming through them and touching them plenty of times I can confirm what the Aquarium people said about the sting not being strong enough to penetrate human skin - all good.

Further to that after swimming through them and touching them plenty of times I can confirm what the Aquarium people said about the sting not being strong enough to penetrate human skin - all good.

Yes think I'm going to agree with Gorgo and Mr Love - the moon jellies I saw were nearer to St. Kilda and looked really translucent. I did see the Blubber Jellies at Inverloch a couple of weeks back and yes they were much more opaque looking.

The ones I see are a pink and blue color combo and the head size up to a foot in diameter . Thousands of them in big schools . They make for fast water starts

Select to expand quote

Imax1 said..
The ones I see are a pink and blue color combo and the head size up to a foot in diameter . Thousands of them in big schools . They make for fast water starts

Many were turned into sashimi by my foil last week.

So what fin is best? Wave, weed or upright. I find that my sharp upright fins and plenty of back foot pressure deals with the problem. Deep title boxes, are they necessary though?