Dangerous Jellyfish leaves 100 Stung in Rye

Over 100 beachgoers encountered a large lion’s mane jellyfish Wednesday at Wallis Sands State Beach in Rye, N.H. Five children were injured and taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital by ambulance. No serious injuries were reported.

              High temperatures attracted large crowds to the seacoast yesterday. Unfortunately that’s not all the coast appealed to. Rye, N.H. faced a scary encounter with a large jellyfish Wednesday, July 21^st at Wallis Sands State Beach.  Around 50 children fled from the 63 degree water screaming about stings on their legs. Soon after, lifeguards captured a dead jellyfish floating in the water with a pitchfork.  Park Manager Ken Loughlin said, “It was as big as a turkey platter. The thing was probably 50 pounds. I’ve never seen such a thing.”

A number of Seacoast Area emergency crews hurried to the beach including, Stratham, Portsmouth, Greenland, New Hampton, Newington, and Rye at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Rescue officials said more than 100 people reported being stung by something in the water. They were treated in the bathhouses. Five children were taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for fear of allergic reactions to the stings. However, no serious injuries were reported

Robert Royer, an aquarist at the Seacoast Science Center identified the sea creature as a lion’s mane jellyfish. He said lion’s mane jellyfish are often found in New England waters, “That’s the largest we have around here. I’ve never heard of them getting 50 pounds, though.” The lion’s mane jellyfish can have tentacles reaching 100 feet in length. Each tentacle has barbs that can sting even after the jellyfish is killed and broken apart. Officials reported that the jellyfish stings felt similar to bee stings.

Hampstead resident, Alysia Bennett, mother of three, took her children to the beach for the day. Their day of fun turned into a nightmare when all three children came running out of the water crying, “they were terrified,” Bennett commented. The beach has reopened since closing yesterday after the incident.