TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands sea bather's eruption---how to prevent

I just returned from our annual charter with an impressive case of "sea bather's eruption"----developed itchy red maculopapular lesions hours after snorkeling---located mainly in the regions under my bathing suit , but also around the wrists near the cuffs of my wetsuit and on my thighs near the area where the wetsuit ends---nasty rash that has lasted nearly a week----related to thimble jellyfish larva nematocysts which produce a toxin---saw the little devils at monkey point and perhaps elsewhere. my questions are-have any others had trouble with this rash lately?---any ideas where the most questionable snorkeling areas might be, and perhaps most of all, how can the rash be prevented after suspected contact? now that I've had a bad case, I think that I'm susceptible to a more severe case with next exposure----would hate to stop going to paradise because of this---have been going for the past 20+ years.

Use Safe Sea lotion before you go...
It's really thick, but it works!

http://www.amazon.com/Safe-Sea-Anti-Jellyfish-Sting-Lotion/dp/B00119UMEI

I'm glad you posted this! When we were down last month the back of my neck (where my bathing suit tied around my neck) started to sting - like maybe I'd forgotten to get sunscreen on and it was burned. I finally asked my husband to look at it and he found that whole area where my swimsuit tie touched my skin was all broken out. Like a bad case of teenage acne. We thought maybe some bacteria had gotten under my suit there. It was pretty painful. I made sure to use an antibacterial soap on it and got out of my wet suit right after snorkeling and it finally cleared up. Wonder if this was the same things you're describing?

In FL we call it sea lice. Certain people are more prone to it, my middle daughter gets it the worst. The one thing they tell us down here is to make sure you rinse off with fresh water a ton after you get out of the ocean - especially where your swimsuit touches or covers you as that is where they get you the most. My daughter does rinse off, but she is my biggest swimmer so she stays in the ocean forever before she runs to the showers.

One April about 10 years ago, a friend and I went to Cancun for a girls getaway. We both swam in the ocean alot. She came home with a horrible rash and I didn't at all. It was right where her suit was. They called in Sea Lice too. Pretty nasty. Only solution, don't wear suits!! Swim naked
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98540&page=1

We ran into it in Belize and the locals told us....after the fact, unfortunately....that covering yourself with suntan lotion BEFORE entering the water is a great preventative.

Yes, that's what I've always heard--no swimming suit, no problem! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> Good link!

I am glad someone else said it, because I was going to offer up the same solution. My wife and I never have this issue. I just have to make sure I watch out for barracuda. Don't want a case of mistaken identity!