Why I'm not swimming in the sea

Normally I like to swim - or at least paddle - in every sea I encounter. Even in wintry Vladivostok I found a crack in the ice large enough to briefly dip a finger in the water.

Surfers Paradise should be perfect for my first dunk in the Coral Sea. The weather (and I assume the water) is warm, the beach is litter free and gently sloping, the sand is fine and soft, the surf big enough for a brief tumble but not enough to pose a threat.

But there are these all over the beach, and in the water. Bluebottles. Similar to the Portugese man o'war.

Physalia utriculus is smaller than Physalia physalis - the main stinging tentacle is only about 1 metre long. But the sting apparently causes 'extreme pain, which usually subsides after 20-40 minutes unless the venom gets into the lymph nodes'.

Think I'll stick to the pool.Read more