The Dangers Of Swimming Near Jellyfish

03 July 2026

1180

R. Linda

Well, I got off to a rough start yesterday, so today I was determined no more mishaps of the Murphy's Law kind. I got up to another beautiful day, even though the weather report said we were in the middle of a heat wave. I was at the shoreline, the surf pounding, the air moist and cool, and I didn't care about heat waves or anything else but sipping me coffee while wading in the cool surf. 

It was then I saw it. A huge jellyfish was floating on top of the water. Uh oh, those things sting. Me first thought was to warn the kiddos not to go near it. O'Hare was sleepily coming toward me, towel over his shoulder and swim trunks on, which meant a morning dip in the sea. 

"No, no, you'll have to wait until later, there, Sport. See that thing floating on the water? That's a jellyfish, it is." I warned him.

He squinted his eyes and looked hard at the thing bobbing closer. 

"Looks kinda funny for a jellyfish." He observed.

I looked again, and it looked the same as when I first spotted it, so I asked him what was funny about it.

"It's too big and . . . I dunno, looks off."

I craned me neck to see better, and ok, it was large, which made me feel it was dangerous. 

Meanwhile, Guido came out dressed for a swim as well. Before I could open me piehole, O'Hare pipes up and tells him, "Da thinks that's a jellyfish and we shouldn't swim today."

"I did not say you should not swim today, I said not right now because of that," I pointed at the still bobbing transparent mass.

"What is that?" Guido asked, squinting his eyes at it.

Before I could say anything, since the three of us were focused on the 'jellyfish', there was a splash, and there, in the water, was me very own little apple-cheeked, grey-haired Mam going for a morning plunge. 

I started shouting at her; the boys pointed at the jellyfish, and she stopped, turned, and looked at us as she bobbed in the water alongside the jellyfish. She was an arm's length from the thing, and suddenly she reached over and got a hold of it, to me horror. 

"Ye mean dis?" She held up a clear plastic bag.

"Oh," I said, me face turning red, I knew from the heat I was feeling that me embarrassed red face was coming out. The boyos were beside themselves with laughter.

Yeah, the jellyfish, AKA dead plastic bag

But it didn't end there, I be sorry to say.

Gabe

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