Jumping Jellyfish!
Area swimmers are reporting close encounters of the squishy kind as beachgoers and jellyfish both take to the local waters to beat the sticky summer heat.
“I just saw one,” yelled Brian Lynch, 13, of Brooklyn yesterday as he took a dip at Coney Island. “I ran because I didn’t want to get stung.”
“Last week, it was very bad,” said lifeguard Leo Tineo, 29. “I was stung a few times myself.”
Crab catcher Henry Chen, 14, said his nets keep coming up full of the floating sea creatures.
“We caught a jellyfish in the net but we threw it back,” said Chen.
City Parks Department officials said Big Apple beaches are as safe as ever.
“The beaches are safe,” said parks spokesman Robert Lawson. “This happens during the hottest months of the summer – it’s not abnormal.”
Lawson added that swimmers should, however, exercise caution when they spot a jellyfish and not swim in that area.
New York Aquarium curator Paul Sieswerder says the sting of the “moon jellyfish” – the most common breed – is usually not seriously harmful to humans.
For the record, Sieswerder says there is no such thing as killer jellyfish.
“That doesn’t happen,” he said. “It’s not a conscious thing. They bump into [people] more than attack.”
Manhattan dermatologist Dr. Alan Kling said such common household items as vinegar, baking soda and powdered meat tenderizer can often be used to treat minor jellyfish stings. Serious inflammations, though, should be seen by a doctor.
“You can get the tentacles off with sea water, but never use alcohol or fresh water because it may cause more venom to leak out,” cautioned Kling.
Beaches are likely to remain popular as the city continues to sizzle throughout the week, with no real break in the heat expected until Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
The Big Apple baked at 96 degrees in Central Park yesterday – the 14th day of above-90-degree temperatures this month, NWS meteorologist Gary Conte said.
It was just two degrees short of the 1969 record high of 98 degrees.
Normal temperatures for this time of year are about 86 degrees.
Today is expected to be hot and sunny, with the mercury climbing toward the 95-degree mark, said Conte. Tomorrow the thermometer is expected to hit about 90 degrees
“We’re looking for the temperatures to slowly return back to normal,” he said, adding that there’s a chance of rain for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Con Ed officials, who were hit with a lawsuit yesterday for the blackout that left more than 200,000 Washington Heights and Inwood residents in the dark for 19 hours, reported no problems with their system yesterday.