‘We’ve never seen anything like this’: Delaware beach-goers swear they feel the jellyfish sting more than ever

AP Photo/Mingson LauMore beachgoers have been getting an unexpected shock this summer as jellyfish numbers bloom along the Delaware coast, interrupting — but not stopping — the summer fun

Beach patrol captains reported a dramatic increase in jellyfish activity and stings in July, the most they’ve seen in recent memory

Lewes Beach reported a fourfold increase in stings compared to 2024

Jellyfish blooms have become common from Maine to Florida in recent years

Warming waters can create ideal conditions for jellyfish growth

Normally, Delaware’s five state parks may report a handful of summer jellyfish stings, said Bailey Noel, a beach patrol captain

But Fenwick Island State Park recently reported 92 stings on a single July day

Three lifeguards were taken to urgent care after swimming in jellyfish-infested waters, Noel said

The jellyfish at Delaware’s Towers Beach surprised Philadelphia resident Christina Jones, whose two daughters refused to wade back into the water after being stung, she said. “The jellyfish are pretty bad,” Jones said. “And not only are they a lot in number, but they’re pretty big.” Delaware State Beach Patrol started tracking jellyfish stings this year due to the rise in cases, said Noel

Most patrol teams do not track the data

Lewes Beach Patrol treated 295 stings in 2024, the first year the data was collected, but reported over 1,200 cases so far in 2025, said Capt

Lifeguards started carrying vinegar solutions, which can neutralize the venom agents, to help ease pain, he said

But vinegar solutions may cause microscopic venom-coated barbs known as nematocysts to discharge, according to some re

Those experts recommend a baking soda slurry

While venomous, stings from Delaware’s lion’s manes and sea nettles typically only cause minor irritation and pain, said Edwards

In cases of severe allergic reactions and symptoms — nausea, vomiting and trouble breathing — lifeguards can help

Jellyfish blooms, sudden fluctuations in jellyfish populations, are not uncommon, said Gisele Muller-Parker, a retired marine biologist who would count dozens of lion’s mane jellyfish during her daily Lewes Beach walks in July

Temperature, salinity and food availability influence jellyfish breeding, and in favorable conditions, such as warmer waters, populations can explode. “This year, we’ve never seen anything this,” Muller-Parker said

The jellyfish were near the end of their life cycle, finishing their reductive phase and laying their eggs

Those jellyfish will die once water temperatures cool, said Keith Bayha, a re collaborator with the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History

The jellyfish boom can harm ecosystems and marine industries, said Bayha, who has studied the animals for more than 20 years and helped identify a nettle species

Fish larvae primarily on plankton, but jellyfish can eat both the plankton and the fish

And with few natural predators, the jellyfish food chain is an ecological dead end, said Bayha

Delaware’s boom this summer is far from alone

Florida’s Volusia County reported hundreds of stings around Memorial Day weekend

Gloucester, Massachusetts, reminded beachgoers to stay safe around jellyfish in mid-July

And in June, Maine’s Ogunquit Fire Department warned beachgoers the increase in jellyfish after stings were reported

Jellyfish re is limited, but Muller-Parker hopes more work will be done to assess the ecological ramifications of jellyfish blooms and imve safety advisories

For now, some unlucky beachgoers will have to rely on remedies and, in the case of Massachusetts resident Kathy Malloy-Harder’s third-grade nephew, a little bravery. “When he got stung, he jumped up and started crying and said, ’I’m never coming back to the beach again ever,’” said Malloy-Harder, who had to try two stores to find vinegar for him

But she said that after talking it “and once the sting subsided, he was interested in coming back and enjoying the beach.” ___ Whittle reported from Portland, Maine

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