Dr. Tom Doyle, a renowned jellyfish expert from the University College Cork, who will speak at the 2013 Global Open Water Swimming Conference in Cork, Ireland describes the Lion’s Mane Syndrome:

“The real painful jellyfish in Irish and United Kingdom waters is the Lion’s Mane. From my experience, the Lion’s Mane is a real serious stinger that has recently caused numerous hospitalisations and medical treatments in Irish waters recently.

The real problem with this species is that it has so much venom. When an open water swimmers swims into one, it just sticks to the body and injects a serious amount of highly toxic venom. Such high volumes of venom can require medical treatment as they can cause what we call the Lion’s Mane syndrome.

Many swimmers describe the same thing – severe pain within 20 minutes or more, weakness, vertigo, nausea, headache and muscle cramps. In very severe stings, there may be difficulty breathing and pain on respiration, tachycardia, muscle spasms, stiffness of back and joints, and anaphylactoid reactions. Weeping of the skin is common.”

Professor Doyle stresses that if a person is stung by a Lion’s Mane and is suffering from swelling, breathing difficulties, palpitation or chest tightness, then they must get to the nearest Emergency Department or other medical professional urgently. “I have documented a case of an open water having cardiac arrest. Also do not use vinegar. This is useless and may actually make it worse. I recommend to wash off and rinse the affected area in sea water and get help immediately.”

Professor Doyle will speak about jellyfish stings at the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and World Open Water Swimming Association ceremonies and conference on October 11th-13th in Cork, Ireland.

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