Springtime's warmer water is bringing sea creatures closer to the Beaches shore

It's an old rule: When you go into the ocean, it's the sea creatures' world; it's not made for humans.

But every year, hundreds of beachgoers get stung by jellyfish, have run-ins with crabs, get rashes from what are commonly known as sea lice and sometimes even get bitten by a shark. When entering the ocean, it's enter at your own risk.

With water temperatures finally climbing into the 70s, city officials and scientists are warning the increasing numbers of beachgoers to watch out as they head back into the ocean.

"With warmer water comes more activity. There's more fish and there's more jellyfish. There are more animals reproducing, which sometimes leads to more rashes" on people's skin, said Quinton White, executive director of the Marine Science Research Institute at Jacksonville University.

Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue Capt. Thomas Wright said he's already seen big increases in sea life near the beach. In recent weeks, he's seen everything from manta rays to jellyfish to sea turtles to dolphins.

"I was out there with them [manta rays] Sunday," Wright said. "I was on my stand-up paddleboard and they passed by. A little while later, there were sea turtles."

Most of the larger sea life won't hurt people. Manta rays are gentle giants but their wingspans stretching several feet can seem ominous. Dolphins pass people by regularly and sea turtles are close to shore seeking food while following a steady supply of jellyfish.

"We've got a ton of jellyfish, tons of them, they're cabbage head or cannonballs. They're all over the place and people are absolutely offended," said Wright.

But cannonball jellyfish don't sting unless they're picked up. The long-strand tentacled jellyfish also known as sea nettles and Portuguese man of war are much more dangerous and menacing but they won't start coming near shore for a few weeks, when waters get much warmer, Wright said.

The immediate threat to humans going into the water now are mating crabs, said White. And it's not the crab claws.

"Some of the larval forms of crabs have these long spines and sometimes they impale people," said White. "They're not designed to be a defensive mechanism. Sometimes people get rubbed by them. ... They [spines] break off in people's skin and people get a rash."

White said the stings from mating crabs fall under what many people call sea lice, which causes burning and itching rashes along large areas of the skin. White said there are no technical "sea lice." Rather, the term applies to the crab spines and mulched up bits of jellyfish that get pummeled in rough seas.

White advises beachgoers to just leave sea critters alone if they see them in the ocean.

"Any marine mammal, you're not allowed to harass, chase, approach or touch. There are federal laws against that," White said Wednesday.

A beachgoer's best safety approach is to use simple common sense, said Wright.

"If you see something that could harm you, get away from it," said Wright, who said some of the things he witnesses on the beach are jaw-dropping.

"It's incredible to me. It's amazing. There's so much of it, I don't know where to begin. People want me to move jellyfish so their kids won't get hurt," Wright said with a sarcastic chuckle. "Do you know how many jellyfish there are on the beach?

"You got to have your head on a swivel. There's so much going on down here you really got to pay attention to what's happening," Wright said. "Some people get mad at people throwing footballs. Some people swim right in front of other people surf fishing. People will go right out in the middle of surfers sometimes and they would get upset if they get hit.

"It's a matter of common sense, and there's a big lack of it sometimes," said Wright.

Of course the most frightful consideration for beachgoers going into the water is the top of the food chain - sharks. Wright said he hasn't heard any reports of sharks yet.

But with the water getting warmer and shark migrations already seen in South Florida, White said don't be surprised if sharks are seen soon off the Beaches.

"It's about now, it should be happening anytime," said White. "Usually late April and May, we start seeing them. We sometimes get mating aggregations, particularly off Nassau Sound. We see sharks when we fly over looking for manatees."

Drew Dixon: (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313