Question

What do you use to neutralize jelly fish stings and are the tentacles safe to remove with your bare hands?

Answer 1

I use vinegar.  I've used my bare hands to remove tentacles before with no problem (only once)  but not sure I recommend it.

Answer 2

Vinegar

Baking soda

Best to look up based on which jellyfish is involved as some are worse than others.

Answer 3

Vinegar hands down works to neutralize stinging jellyfish.  I have heard of people using a credit card to scrape the area stung in order to avoid handling the stingers with their hands.

Answer 4

Also, if you were stung by a Man o’ War, vinegar will make their stings worse, so don’t use it in this case, instead, use the next solution.If no vinegar is available, rinsing the sting in a baking soda / sea water (only if it’s salt water, no fresh water) mixture and then gently apply a baking soda / sea water paste to the area should also neutralize the nematocysts.  If baking soda isn’t available, rinsing with sea water works too, just not as well.Next, use a knife, shaving razor, credit card, etc. to very gently “shave” the area stung (don’t use very much pressure or it may cause any non-neutralized nematocysts to fire) to get rid of any remaining nematocysts.  Some guides also recommend gently applying shaving cream or soap lather before shaving the nematocysts off.

Answer 5

We carry Adolph's (or any other brand) meat tenderizer in our beach and fishing bags. While living in Florida we learned this was very effective at neutralizing jellyfish as well as sea lice stings. Simply sprinkle it on the area and add a little water. I also successfully used this to avoid going to the ER after being stuck by a sea catfish barb. My hand had immediately swollen and I asked an old crab pot maker what to do. He said to make a paste of the meat tenderizer, put it on the area, wrap it with gauze and let it work. By the next day the swelling was own and the pain was gone...and no sitting in the ER for hours waiting to be treated.