Sea lice are actually jellyfish
The term sea lice was inappropriately coined by residents who suffered strange rashes after swimming in coastal waters in the 1950s, according to the Florida Department of Health. (There is such a thing as actual sea lice, it turns out, but they are tiny parasites that affect fish, not humans.)
The rash that humans tend to get, on the other hand, “is caused by miniature jellyfish larvae trapped under bathing suits when in the water,” states a 2017 brochure available on the Health Department’s website.
“If pressure occurs from exercising, surfboards, lying on the beach, etc., stinging cells are released and cause itching, irritation, and welts,” the brochure continues. The larvae also like to hang out in people’s hair, so the back of the neck—where hair hangs down and touches the skin—is a common place for lesions.
[Image found here, caption here.]
woah!
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Cute lil bugger, ain’t he?
A surfer buddy told me a trick in case you get stung by a jelly fish. Get out of the water and get a buddy to pee on the wound. The uric acid negates the poisons. I imagine it works for “sea lice” infections too.
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There is also a parasite you can get that infects seagulls. It itches and causes a rash but it goes away because they can’t live in humans.
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