Jellyfish 101: Edisto Beach Jellyfish and What to Do If Stung

Updated November 2026.

Two things every swimmer on Edisto Beach should know: yes, there are jellyfish, and most of them are harmless. The ones you’ll see washed up on the sand most often won’t sting you at all. A few can, especially in late summer, so here’s how to tell them apart and what to do if you get stung.

Common and Mostly Harmless

• Cannonball jelly: the round, firm “jelly balls” you see on the beach, whitish with a brown band. They have no long tentacles and rarely sting. They’re by far the most common jellyfish here, and the favorite food of leatherback sea turtles.
• Mushroom jelly: looks like a cannonball but has tentacles. It isn’t dangerous to people, though it’s a nuisance to shrimpers’ nets.
• Moon jelly: a clear saucer with four pink horseshoe-shaped rings. Uncommon here, and its sting is mild.
• Lion’s mane: a winter jellyfish with clusters of tentacles. It shows up when few people are swimming, and its sting is mild.

The Ones That Sting

• Sea nettle: the jellyfish behind most summer stings on Edisto. Saucer-shaped and brown or reddish, with long tentacles trailing behind. Sea nettles peak in late summer, and more stings happen in August than in any other month. Their tentacles are hard to see in the water. The sting feels like brushing against hair, which quickly turns to a burning, needle-like pain. It’s painful but rarely serious.
• Sea wasp (box jellyfish): a small, cube-shaped jellyfish with long tentacles at each corner and the most painful sting in South Carolina waters. It isn’t common here.
• Portuguese man-of-war: not a true jellyfish. It has a blue-purple, gas-filled float and tentacles that can trail many feet. It occasionally drifts in after storms and stings badly, even when washed up on the beach, so don’t touch it.

What to Do If You’re Stung

1. Get out of the water and stay calm.
2. Remove any tentacles still stuck to the skin with tweezers, a credit card edge or a towel, not bare fingers. Don’t rub the area.
3. Rinse with salt water, not fresh water, which can trigger more stingers. Vinegar can help with some jellyfish, but skip it for a Portuguese man-of-war.
4. Soak in hot water, as hot as you can comfortably stand, for 20 to 40 minutes, or use a cold pack, to ease the pain.
5. Get medical help for trouble breathing, chest pain, swelling of the face or throat, a sting over a large area or any sting on a small child. Call 911; there are no lifeguards on Edisto Beach.

And forget the old myths: urine and rubbing alcohol don’t help and can make it worse.

Don’t let jellyfish keep you out of the water. Shuffle your feet, watch the water around you and wear a rash guard in late summer. More beach safety: rip currents, sharks and Edisto Beach rules.