Cambodia News, Phnom Penh: A boy was injured on his arm with terrible blisters up to the elbow, after he was stung by a jellyfish in the sea at Kep during the holidays.

According to the Facebook account named "Oun Reaksa", the mother of the boy posted a warning: "Brothers who go to the sea, be careful, my son was playing in the sea, and suddenly an animal called a water bubble (jellyfish) was floating there, and my son touched it with his arm which became all swollen and full of blisters. If you see these strange animals, tell your children, do not touch them, be careful."

It has been more than a week since the boy was injured by the jellyfish and is still recovering. He is being treated at Kantha Bopha Hospital.


Everyone should note that this jelly fish is very deadly because it can even kill people, particularly small children. That venom may attack the heart, blood circulation, nervous system and skin cells after the victim touches it. Be careful and stay safe.

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:32 am looks more like he came in contact with the Tentacles rather than the main body

Isnt that how all jellyfish work?

Sitting eating dinner in Kep look down at floating plastic bag but no , a large jellyfish are these dangerous , I was thinking maybe jellyfish had something to do with the body washed up the other day
Photo from phone not so good but internet photo is what it looked like also sometimes it had lots of brown spots on it body ( no I wasn't drunk or tripping )

NB, not an expert, but a lifelong surfer and a kayaker on the Cambodian coast.

I don't believe any of the "blobby" jellyfish that are photographed caused this boys injuries. They don't have long tentacles, and like Richard says, they usually only cause a very slight sting.
(side note - When there are a lot of these around in Oz and they get broken up by big surf - the small remnants are often mistaken for itchy "sea lice".)

It was more likely a Blue Bottle jellyfish.
I was badly scarred as a lad exactly like this ^^^ - from having the long trailing tentacles wrap around my arm and shoulder.
Very painful, and sometimes the shock from the pain can cause cardiac arrest - but generally not deadly.

Box jellyfish, also in the Gulf, are also a little floating bubble like Blue Bottles, with long long trailing tentacles - but if it was one of those he would probably be dead.
Not too common, thank Huey!!

Rainy season, when the wind is blowing onshore is the worst time for jellyfish, but not the only time they visit Cambodia.
(the circular currents can carry them around from the western side even in "winter")
Fortunately the water quality and conditions are not good for swimming when they are most common.

I've seen a couple of jellyfish stings in Kep and Koh Tonsay in dry season. And yes, they did look like floating plastic bags, so be careful.

I do remember few years ago lots of jellyfish in the water at Sihanoukville, I got out of the water but the locals didn't seem to care and kept swimming, so maybe not so dangerous

Further research...

Firstly, none of those photographed blobby jellyfish ^^^ could have caused these injuries.
They were caused by a jellyfish that has long tentacles.
also, i am pretty sure there are no dangerous species that look like these.

The Box jellyfish is increasing in the Gulf apparently, with a small number of deaths in recent years - including a few westerners at resort Islands in the Gulf.
The photographs in this article below shows injuries very similar to this boy's - so it may very well have been a Box.

If it was, it really surprises me he survived with exposure a severe as his.
Call him the Miracle Kid.

(nb, it could have been a very painful but not deadly Blue Bottle also. They exist in the Gulf, but apparently are more rare than the Box)
https://iamkohchang.com/blog/box-jellyf ... iland.html

When I worked in the middle East I used to react very badly ro jellyfish stings that would only cause minor irritation to others. Perhaps this young lad is also strongly affected by a creature that would be relatively harmless to most who come into contact with it.