Itchy all over, but it ain't sea lice

During the Sydney Harbour Ocean Swim I knew there was something upleasant going on in my togs. I could feel a bunch of critters nipping away at my flesh, caught as they were between my one-piece swimmers and my body.

After the swim I commented on this experience to Petulant Princess and we decided the best option was to strip off (behind a bush) and change into fresh clothes ASAP.

Alas, it was too late for moi. The night after the swim was fine, but by the Monday morning my torso was covered in a red rash, similar in appearance to chicken pox. The bites were raw and livid, raised and often clumped together. They were even on my back, following the shape of my cossie straps.

Fortunately, they weren't on my bottom or groin. However, my brother-in-law, Davo, wasn't so lucky. Yep, in his case they ventured into the budgie smugglers and the damage was done!

We concluded that it was sea lice. To confirm this, I did some research on the net to discover that the culprits are more likely to be jellyfish larvae.

It makes sense. Last Sunday the harbour was awash with jellies. And I spent a lot of my time swimming through groups of them.

An American website, Divers alert network, explains that the result of a jellyfish larvae assault is called 'sea bather's eruption', and it is caused by tiny laval forms which become trapped underneath bathing suits - and each larvae has stinging cells. 'Women wearing one-piece swimmers are vulnerable,' it warns.

The condition is apparently aggravated by:
* staying in swimmers after swimming
* showering in fresh water (with cossie still on, I suppose?)
* rubbing your body, still in cossie, with a towel

The bad news about sea bather's eruption is that the larvae can remain in cossies and there are reports of the condition recurring.

One week after the event I feel a lot better. The bites/stings are no longer itchy and they don't look half as nasty.

I don't know if there is any way to stop the larvae from jumping on board, though one bloke on the seabreeze blog (who wasn't sure what had bitten him) suggested dousing yourself in vinegar before heading into the water. It worked for him!

PS: Apparently, sea lice don't dig (so to speak) human flesh. They are a fish parasite and prefer to hang off salmon.

Shark-free zone

Counting - all limbs intact, 10 fingers, 10 toes and I still got me nose!

Today around 750 swimmers leapt into Sydney Harbour from the Man O' War steps at the Opera House to particpate in the eighth Sydney Harbour Swim Classic.

I was nervous as all get out, having heard the news that a 15-year-old boy was 'mauled' (one is never attacked by a shark, one is always MAULED) by a shark at Avalon beach around 6.30 this morning. This attack is one of three in the past three weeks. This number is unprecedented (I think - correct me if I'm wrong).

Despite this, the swimmers today put their faith in the organisers, who had taken extra precautions, such as adding spotters on top of the Opera House and at Pinchgut and extra support craft to make the event safe.

I'm sure they were praying that the bugger at Avalon wouldn't head south and make a sharp right-hand turn at North and South Heads.

It was a little disconcerting when, before the start of the swim, we were told that if a shark was spotted we were all to move into to the middle of the harbour where we would be picked up by a flotilla of boats. Really?

I'm sure swim organiser Adam Watson is having a celebratory drink or 10 tonight as the event was fin-free.

As usual, I swallowed half the harbour. But all that matters is I SURVIVED (so did my brother-in-law Davo and eldest child, Petulant Princess).

The water was around 20 degrees, a cruise ship was moored just behind Pinchgut, the day was sparkling and the bull sharks were no doubt cruising around underneath us thinking, "What the @#*!"

No more shark stories from now on, I promise (unless there's another 'incident', that is).

From now on it's romance all the way!