Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Viaje Pagbilao | Attack of the Jellies


We had a bad encounter with jellyfishes during our Pagbilao trip last sunday. Two of my thesis-mates were stung by jellyfish. I was busy taking pictures of the floating jellyfishes on the other side of the beach when they shouted in pain.

the swimming jellyfishes
I asked them what happened, "ano nagyare sa inyo? (what hapened)"

she answered me, "pumulupot yung mga jellyfish sa braso ko, hindi lang isang jellyfish (more than one jellyfish coiled in my arms)."

"how is it," I asked again.

"Sobrang sakit, sagad hangang buto (extremely painful, extended to the bones)."

"Oh my," by then, I realized that these jellyfishes can paralyze small fishes and can sometimes kill with their venomous stinging cells.

reddened by jellyfish stings
I can see the pain in their eyes, an extreme one. Our thesis adviser told them that freshly voided urine can be the remedy in the absence of vinegar. So they did, without any hesitation, they poured on their arms the urine, still warm from the bladder (sounds irky right?).

Time passed by and the effect of the urine diminished yet the pain of the jellyfish stings were becoming more intense. Until the sting marks swelled.

and it swelled after some time


Biologist's Zone

a box jellyfish (Class Cubozoa)
Jellyfishes are from Phylum Cnidaria, a phylum in the Kingdom Animalia that possesses cnidocytes or nematocytes or in layman's term, stinging cells. They use these stinging cells to catch prey or defend themselves.

They can't do anything about it anymore so they just ignored the un-ignorable pain.

After some hours, Kuya Benj, our boatman, caught one jellyfish. Gripping tightly on its slimy umbrella, he showed it to us the culprit. Yayks, it's still moving, still curling its tentacles.

Batang Lakwatsero and the Jellyfish


Pagbilao Series

Viaje Pagbilao | The Way to the Beaches - Part 1
Viaje Pagbilao | Puting Buhangin and Kuwebang Lampas - Part 2
Viaje Pagbilao | The Attack of the Jellies - Part 3



  1. What compound in the urine is responsible for alleviating the pain from jellyfish sting?

    Also aside from human urine can other animal's urine be substituted?

    Thanks!! :D

  2. grabe yung swelling! buti na lang nung nagsnorkel tayo, hindi naman ganyan.


  3. actually..vinegar ang dapat nakahanda for the jellyfish sting..hnd xa nakakagaling..pero makakatulong para mabawasan ung pain..ung urine effective..XD ntry ko na..-jk

  4. i'm not a doctor but i don't think urine will be of help, dumi sa katawan yun eh..wala lang hehe.

    di ko naexperience yan nung pumunta kami dyan, grabe uber laki ng jellyfish!

  5. @lauren, ewan ko nga din ba.. haha.. pero ang nematocyst kasi masnagiging active kpag nsa fresh water.. eh maalat ang urine :)
    @wih, yuh buti na lang maliliit lang yung jellyfish sa hundred islands
    @jk, natatawa tlga ako sa reaction mo nun.
    @CA, hmmm, effective daw e.. you haven't blogged your experience sa pagbilao, hndi ko pa kasi yun nakita sa blog mo.

  6. OMG! ayokong ma experience yan.. sobrang saket nga daw..

  7. I've been to beaches a million times already (usually pag nagsasampling ako sa thesis ko). Although I haven't been stung by a jellyfish, pero naka-apak ako ng sea urchin. The pain was unbearable too.

  8. it's the acid in the urine that takes off the sting. An acidic substance like vinegar can also do the trick. But since you are out in the wild, urine is the "first aid kit." Jellyfish sting attacks the respiratory system. If they have shortness of breath, you need to rush them to the hospital.

  9. The jellies, when out of the water are unassuming and kinda cute. Poor guys. I've never experienced being stung by them and I hope it stays that way!

  10. those are deadly thing..they are the thing that makes me hate swimming in the beach..but i love sunset/ sunrise by the beach..

  11. ay--sacry--ang lalaki ng mga jellyfish!!kahit ganu kaganda sand ng beach--turnoff sakin kung makati ang tubig at lalo kung me jellyfish--its a no no. :D

  12. Before you go on swimming, there should be an underwater look out. If you know how to swim, why not volunteer to be "tagasisid" and wear a goggles to check if there are enemy around, hehe.

  13. nakakatakot naman ung nagyari. Parang allergy reaction. But still, they managed to take some first aid through the pee*.. Thanks for the information Batang Lakwatsero. :)

  14. Naexperience namin ni elal yan sa calaguas , they actually joined us while swimming , ayos ang trip diba?

    1. ang cute kaya nung jellyfish sa Calaguas. maliit lang. haha

  15. ang laki naman ng jellyfih na yun! at ung swelling nung braso mo ang lala. haha! buti may tulong ung ihi natin.

  16. mahirap nga yan pagnakapulupot. ang nakakainis pa kasi di rin ang mga ito basta bastang nakikita sa dagat.



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