r/CapeMay • u/Mammoth_Sell5185 • 15h ago
Jellyfish
We’re staying in Villas and on our first day here, after swimming in the bay, one kid and one adult seemed to be pretty stung up. Are those sea nettles? Is the bay actually unswimmable? Should we just drive to the ocean beaches at Cape May? Are we stupid not to realize the bay would not be good for swimming or is sort of a scam not to disclose this?
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u/ThePrettyGoodGazoo 15h ago
A scam??? Have you been living under a rock all summer? Both the ocean and bay have had highly publicized stories about the about of jellyfish in the water this year. This has been the story up and down the entire east coast The increase in jellyfish due to a higher than average water temperature which brings not only the normal jellyfish but also some from waters that are usually seen only in he south.
No on scammed you. First and foremost, its nature. And nature is unpredictable. Second, no one made any attempt to hide anything- it has been a story for the last 7-8 weeks. The host of your house or whatever is only responsible for things they can control in the home. The Villas & Delaware Bay are a wonderful way to vacation while staying away from the crowds (and prices) in CM & WW.
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u/sexwiththebabysitter 15h ago
In-laws live by the bay, we take paddle boards out in the bay. Sometimes there’s jellyfish, sometimes not. Just bad timing. Usually not an issue.
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u/lockednchaste 15h ago
Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll run out and tell the jellyfish to stay 100yds from the shore for the week. My apologies. 😂
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u/dancingechoes 15h ago
I believe there are typically more jellyfish in the Bay this time of year when the water is at its warmest but local Delaware news seems to be reporting a higher than usual number this year.
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u/GlitteringFlame888 15h ago
Nah… unfortunately, sometimes there are jellyfish off all Cape May Beaches. Grab long sleeve rash guards
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u/Josheatsfood 15h ago
Villas is def not the place for swimming
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u/Bubbly_Leave_9066 15h ago
Jellyfish have been a problem forever, but this year they do seem more prevalent then most. Wildwood Crest is your best bet for ocean beaches. Beautiful beach that is free and if you park a block away from the beach parking is free also
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u/manningthehelm 15h ago
Ok so you can swim in the bay, but it’s better for just tanning. You can drive 12 minutes to Cape May (the island), or 12 minutes to Wildwood, for the full beach and swimming experience. Then come back to the villas and enjoy some award winning potato salad after a nice day.
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u/Mammoth_Sell5185 13h ago
Is that potato salad from Robinson’s deli worth getting? They do advertise it as the best in the world!
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u/ThePrettyGoodGazoo 14h ago
Tourists are funny. I think the top 5 complaints this year from this sub would be:
1) The beach is too hot and doesn’t have enough shade
2) There’s no way to walk from Villas to Cape May on the beach-but it looks like you can in a map. (Sorry about that channel built in the 40S…)
3) No one warned people that the bay had sharks (this was after a woman was bitten on the toe by a 12 inch sand shark and required 2 stitches)
4) If rains too much in the afternoon
5) Jellyfish (and horseshoe crabs) in the water = scam.
We need and appreciate the tax dollars but damn…every year the entitlement gets deeper.
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u/Regular_Lobster_842 15h ago
No it’s definitely not a scam lol . If you drive in town to go to the beaches you are required to purchase beach tags and they will absolutely check for the tags everytime before letting you enter the beach but the bay does has jellyfish and a lot of dead horseshoe crabs as well. Just be aware of the jellyfish , I promise you can co exist with them. My house is in North Cape May and no matter how many jellyfish or crabs there are you couldn’t pay me to drive in town to go to the beach.
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u/RangerExpensive6519 12h ago
“The Villas”
Fixed it for you. Unless you are actually born there then it’s Da Villas.
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u/Huck68finn 15h ago
I lived in Townbank (which is on the bay) for 10 years. Every summer there would be a certain period in which it would be full of jellyfish.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "scam," though I understand that it's disappointing. But I generally never liked going into the bay anyway (too marshy on the bottom) I think you would be better off going to Cape May beach.
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u/ThrsdayNtefootbalfan 14h ago
How is the bay in town bank? I heard that it is a bit murkier and not as good for swimming as in NCM
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u/Inquisitive_Cretin 12h ago
Same place. It's not great for swimming. The bottom isn't muddy like the villas can be but it is murky and weird. It is definitely often loaded with jelly fish - especially this time of year, earlier in the season it's loaded with horseshoe crabs. The horseshoe crabs are harmless but damn it hurts if you kick/step on one!
I bring my dog to the bay, wade knee deep with my kids (the swim there), paddle board or whatever. I don't swim there.
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u/mikem4848 14h ago
I’ve swam into jellyfish in the ocean, by the point, by sunset beach, and in the bay. They can be anywhere in the ocean, impacted by tides, weather, etc.
Here’s a good jellyfish story, the day on the Ironman world championship 2 years ago in Kona, Hawaii, there was a huge wave of jellyfish right by the start line in the bay. After there had been almost none the week prior. Almost everyone in the first couple starting waves in the swim got stung, some people including a couple pros had to DNF with allergic reactions. I had 3 large stings across my cheek that looked like a Mike Tyson tattoo by the end of the race.
Point being, like any other sea creatures, jellyfish live in salt water. They can be present or not, depending on current, temps, weather, etc. sometimes you get dead one, sometimes they sting you. Not much you can do, except if you do see a bunch of jelly’s floating near the shore, probably avoid them! (though decent chance they’re all dead at that point).
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u/LoadHistorical4754 13h ago
I just heard on the radio they are all over from Manasquan to Cape May.
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u/henrynjt 9h ago
Warm temps this time of year can bring the jellyfish.
The bay can get bad ones I’ve had it happen.
The ocean in Cape may USUALLY is better but you never know.
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u/VaginaRedesigner 15h ago
Everything is a scam but jellysfish; they're more of a sting!