A CSIRO researcher says she knows how to avoid one of the biggest health risks that plague ocean beaches, the arrival en masse of those nasty little Irukandji Box Jellyfish.  Just brushing up against one is extremely painful and enough stings could prove deadly.  But until now, they’ve never been predictable.

“They travel in very, very large numbers.  It’s not uncommon to have dozens of stings on a beach in a day,” said Doctor Lisa-Ann Gershwin from CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans Flagship institute in Hobart.  “The jellyfish bodies and tentacles are invisible in water – it’s like a diamond dropped into a glass of water.  You just can't see them.”

In a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Gershwin’s team says the trade winds are the key to predicting Box Jellyfish blooms on coastlines.  The Irukundji stay in the deeper water when the wind is churning up waves up top.

“They are like the orchids of the jellyfish family – delicate souls,” said Gershwin.  “They don't like turbulence, they don’t like cloudy water.  They like it as flat and calm and clear as possible.”

By monitoring these offshore winds, officials can predict a box jellyfish bloom as much as 24 hours in advance.  That’s time enough to warn bathers or even to close beaches.