Qld: Swimmers fail to grasp stinger dangers

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Qld: Swimmers fail to grasp stinger dangers

By Jordan Baker

TOWNSVILLE, Feb 11 AAP - Swimmers are failing to grasp the gravity of north Queensland'sstinger plague despite the first recorded Irukandji jellyfish death.

Surf Lifesaving Queensland lifeguard supervisor John Boggs said today some people werestill swimming outside stinger nets or at closed beaches.

"A lot of people think that you can see these animals in the water," he said.

"They are so small, they generally don't get any bigger than a 10 cent piece ... youcan't see these jellyfish in water.

"They (the swimmers) are just people who are frustrated at the hot weather up hereand not being able to go for a swim, and they take the chance and go for a quick dip anyway.

"They've only got to put a foot in the water and they put themselves in the positionof being stung."

British tourist Richard Jordan, 58, died earlier this month after being stung by anIrukandji while swimming in the Whitsundays.

French and Japanese swimmers have since been hospitalised, while a Whitsundays resortworker was stung at the weekend.

A few people wilfully disobeyed warnings while others had been stung wading in thewater during a walk along the beach, Mr Boggs said.

Some stings were accidents, such as the case of a fisherman stung by a jellyfish caughtin his net.

But Mr Jordan's death had given many people a better understanding of the danger, Mr Boggs said.

"Many pople still want to go swimming but they have a better understanding of why swimmingis prohibited," he said.

"We have had the occasional bout of frustration set in, but we've found the public,business houses and tourists to be very understanding."

Mr Boggs said lifeguards used signs, information and sample jellyfish to explain totourists and locals why swimming was dangerous.

There were rarely language problems, he said.

About 95 people had gone to Cairns Base Hospital this summer with marine stings, aspokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Democrat plan to seek increased funding for research intothe deadly jellyfish.

Democrats' regional development spokesman John Cherry said this summer had been oneof the worst for stingers in Queensland's northern waters, with four times as many stingsin the Cairns area as last year.

"The Democrats will be using the return of the Senate tomorrow to put pressure on HealthMinister, Senator Kay Patterson, to ensure that the National Health and Medical Councilgives priority to stinger research," he said.

"The Queensland tourism industry cannot afford another season of bad publicity aboutmarine stingers."

AAP jb/sc/cjh/

KEYWORD: JELLYFISH