Photos for Headline Surfer / TOP: A lifeguard drags driving lane signs off the beach near the Dunlawton Avenue ramp in Daytona Beach with the close of beach driving for the day on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida. BELOW: Tammy Malphurs, director of Volusia County Beach Safety, is shown, along with an isolated shot of a jellyfish on shore.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla -- More than 400 jellyfish stings were reported over the extended Memorial Day weekend, according to Volusia County Beach Safety officials.
“There’s not any specific time of year that they’re here, but when they come in — and sometimes they come in full force, we have a lot of stings. We had more people in the water, especially with the crowds we had over the weekend,” Tammy Malphurs, the Volusia Beach safety director, said.
“There’s not any specific time of year that they’re here, but when they come in — and sometimes they come in full force, we have a lot of stings. We had more people in the water, especially with the crowds we had over the weekend,” Tammy Malphurs, the Volusia Beach safety director, said.
Malphurs said jellyfish stings were treated with vinegar swabs. Vinegar rapidly halts the thousands of tiny, unfired stinging cells left on the skin after tentacle contact.
According to University of Florida health experts, if vinegar isn’t available, the sting site can be rinsed with ocean water.
According to beach safety officials, at least 405 jellyfish stings were reported during the four-day holiday weekend.
Did You Know?
Number of individuals rescued Wednesday(May 28) on Volusia County beaches: 13
Number of individuals rescued in 2025: 552
Number of drownings in 2025: 1
Number of shark encounters in 2025: 2
Stats per Volusia County Beach Safety. Always swim in front of a lifeguard tower. Drownings are far less frequent when people swim in front of a lifeguard.
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