Swimmers at Jomtien beach near Pattaya are urged to be vigilant in the sea after seven people have been treated for jellyfish stings since early this month.
A team of emergency medical and marine rescue workers led by Setthapol Boonsawat, chairman of a panel providing legal advice to the Pattaya municipal mayor, descended on Jomtien beach, 4km south of Pattaya, on Monday to launch a beach safety campaign during the annual bloom of jellyfish in the monsoon season.
A Pattaya marine rescuer shows a jellyfish washed up on Jomtien beach. (Photo by Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
An unusual increase in the number of jellyfish including sea nettle and jelly blubber has been reported in shallow waters in the middle section of the 6km-long beach, with some of them swept to the shore, in the past few days.
Mr Setthapol said authorities have put up warning signs in Thai, English, Chinese and Russian to alert beachgoers about the jellyfish in the water. Lifeguards are on duty both on the beach and in the sea along the coastline. They are equipped with first aid kits to treat stings caused by jellyfish and other sea creatures.
Mr Setthapol said the southwest monsoon wind blowing over land between August and October has carried various species of jellyfish into Jomtien Bay. Seven Thai and foreign visitors had been exposed to poisonous varieties since the seasonal jellyfish bloom. Mr Setthapol advised people who seek medical treatment for jellyfish sting to call Pattaya City's hotline at 1337.