JELLYFISH SEASON IN PHU QUOC ISLAND – WHAT YOU NEED TO BEAR IN MIND?

I. BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF PHU QUOC JELLYFISH

1. Jellyfish Season in Phu Quoc

Jellyfish time in Phu Quoc starts at the end of November and lasts until the middle of December, serious time will be at the beginning of December til the middle of December, at some spots you can run into a swarm of jellyfish. However, Jellyfish are mostly lone drifters, so seeing a group of jellyfish is rare.

At the beginning of the summertime (the end of April), you will run into small jellyfish in the water, or at the beginning of May, you will see many small and medium-sized jellyfish floating in the water including the Flame Jellyfish. For more accurate updates in real time, please contact OnBird on Whatsapp at +84 363 759 280. Long-sleeve shirt or rashguard is highly recommended at this time.

The photos below were taken at Phu Quoc Coral Jungle Reef, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam in Nov. 2023 when jellyfish were just drifting lonely which made our guests thrilled.

2. What species of Jellyfish you can run into in Phu Quoc

• Moon jellyfish
• Comb Jellyfish
• Cauliflower Jellyfish or Crown jellyfish
• Box jellyfish (Four-Handed Box Jellyfish): The Box Jellyfish is a highly advanced species. Native to the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific region in general and Phu Quoc in particular, the Jellyfish species is considered to be one of the most poisonous sea creatures.
• Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
• Flame Jellyfish

3. Safety Guides For Snorkeling & Diving In Jellyfish Season

You should not stay bared body while snorkeling & diving to protect yourself from poisoned creatures in general or jellyfish in particular, wear protective clothing: a long-sleeved shirt and swimming trousers would be the best pair to protect yourselves from unwanted sea creature touches, to keep your body warm, to minimize the use of sunscreen which is harmful to coral as well as useless as the waves will take it away.

Always look around especially stay away from the moving currents as jellyfish can come just after a few second when you don’t pay attention to surrounding things.

4. OnBird Guides on Characteristics Of Deadly Poisonous Jellyfish

If you are not a marine expert, we hope with some of the information here you will be able to determine deadly poisonous jellyfish even if you have seen them before, jellyfish sting spray and humans with their tentacles or tails, so “tentacles” or “tail” is one of the important signs to determine deadly poisonous jellyfish.

• Long/ very long tentacle tails in comparison to their jellyfish head size: this is one of the most common outward appearances of deadly poisonous jellyfish: tale can be 0.5m to 2 – 4m or even longer
• Small tentacles/tails diameter: The small diameter of tentacles/tails makes them look like transparent threads in the water
• The size of jellyfish does not matter: some small jellyfish can kill people within a few minutes and some are tiny size like our finger and is very difficult to see with our eyes in the water.

In Phu Quoc, we have seen four-tail box jellyfish in South Phu Quoc Island, which is a species of extremely venomous but they are very rarely seen in Phu Quoc.

5. Expertly Instructions For Safe Snorkeling In The Jellyfish Safely

Not all jellyfish species are passive, but most jellyfish are known for drifting with ocean currents. They ride the current and come and go with it. If you encounter a jellyfish swarm, it is important to follow OnBird’s instructions:

– Stay calm and try to figure out which way the water is moving, because jellyfish go with the flow.

– It’s best to swim diagonally with the current, not directly against it, to avoid jellyfish. They tend to stay in the current, so if you’re not in it, they won’t come near you.

– Keep an eye out for jellyfish with long, thin tentacles or tails, like the Four-tail Box Jellyfish, because they can be dangerous. If you don’t see any of these types, you’ll probably just get a bit itchy if you come into contact with jellyfish.

6. Can You Do Snorkeling and Diving in This Jellyfish Season?

Yes, we still do snorkeling & diving in this Jellyfish season but it requires protective clothing to protect you. Follow your underwater instructors and instructions from professional operators who have a good understanding of the local seawater. We provide wetsuits, and rashguards for rent if you need them at this time, between November and January, the water temperature in Phu Quoc is also coldest around 25 – 26 Degrees Celsius, we recommend wearing a long-sleeve shirt or wetsuit to keep yourself warm while snorkeling & diving. Don’t be surprised if you see a professional underwater instructor in their wetsuit, it’s simply for safety reasons.

In the Jellyfish Season, the Southern Water will be more jellyfish than the Northern water, thereby Discovery Snorkeling to visit Coral Jungle Reef (with some other options) will be recommended rather than Discovery Snorkeling to hidden coral spots in South Phu Quoc.

A bikini is not recommended for a professional snorkeling experience, wear a long swimming suit or wetsuit in cold water time in Phu Quoc to protect yourself in the water as well as remove the demand for sunscreen while snorkeling.

II. HOW TO PREVENT AND TREAT JELLYFISH STINGS

1. Think about long-sleeved rashguard shirts as an essential item

Outdoor activities require people to respect nature and use common sense and precautions to stay safe and have fun. By being prepared for challenges, you can enjoy yourself and not be at risk. You should add rash guard shirts and if possible, a jellyfish sting prevention lotion, to your travel gear along with safe-reef sunscreen.

A rash guard shirt is an essential item we recommend as it helps to protect you from UV rays and jellyfish in the water and keeps your body warm. Besides, it also keeps the sun off you while you are in the water as well as on land without having to rely on sunblock. Many sunblock products can be damaging to coral, a huge ecological problem, so wearing less sunscreen is always a good idea.

If you forget to prepare one before packing, coming to Phu Quoc, you can buy (unisex) rashguard shirts at Phu Quoc Dive Shop (Google map: Valley Village Phu Quoc Resort – OnBird Phu Quoc office).

Besides rashguard shirts, Phu Quoc Dive Shop (website) (Map) is an “Authorized high-quality Diving & Snorkeling equipment supplier based in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam”, where you can find high-quality snorkeling, diving gear, and wetsuits as well. 

2MM Gloove to protect hands in the cold water and jellyfish season

​3MM HOOD to protect the head in the cold water and jellyfish season​

2. First Aid Treatment for Jellyfish Stings

There are some jellyfish, including box jellyfish and Irukandji that are dangerous and require emergency first aid.

• Rinse the area with vinegar, for at least 30 seconds. If you don’t have vinegar, use seawater.
• Remove tentacles from the skin with tweezers (Be careful not to rub the sting area or to get sand into the sting)
• Once the tentacles are removed, soak the area in hot but not scalding water for 20 to 45 minutes.
• If hot water is not available, apply a cold pack to help the pain. Don’t apply ice directly to unprotected skin.
• If there are any signs of respiratory distress, go as quickly as possible to the nearest hospital.

On OnBird’s discovery-oriented scientific snorkeling trip, we always prepare vinegar for jellyfish-related emergency cases.

Even if you’re traveling solo, going with your partners/ friends, or your beloved curious kids, we have a handful of advice from our own experience of operating thousands of professional snorkel and diving trips in Phu Quoc Island.

II. Kid-friendly Snorkeling in the Jellyfish Season

On OnBird kid-friendly snorkeling tour which is operated on the whole in Phu Quoc Island, we care about the experiences of guests especially for kids thereby OnBird provides long-sleeve wetsuits for kids from 4 years old to 6 years old or from 12 Kg to 32 kg, this help protecting kids from jellyfish, cold water and UV for a safe experience of marine life discovery.

[PRIVATE] FAMILY KID-FRIENDLY SNORKELING ADVENTURE IN PHU QUOC BY SPEEDBOAT

BEST SNORKELING & DIVING SITES IN PHU QUOC ISLAND, VIETNAM (Updated Periodically)