Coral reef area Mites and Bites.

Finally my daughter is old enough and so are her little friends with their parents along for daytrips to close islands on the GBR in FNQ to swim and snorkel the coral areas at the islands edge.

Boat rules are any kids to be allowed come on these trips they must have and wear stinger suits, booties and gloves.....but this still doesn't protect them absolutely in the rare chance a bad stinger does come along, it does even the score at least.

The problem is the mites/whatever and other nuisance stingers/bities in these highly productive close inshore coral fringing waters, these will still find a way in to sting soft skin at a high nuisance level for kids as they are there in their billions the whole time.

Does anyone know of a cream or jelly or something that could be applied to kids necks and chest that works to create a barrier for these nuisances.

suit em up and use a thin hoodie as well they are cheap as chips. Make sure the hoody sits on the outside of the stinger suit. then some liberally added vaseline on the cheeks and specifically area between lips and nose as well. Inspect them before they hop in. Always Keep vinegar on board. Impossible to stop all together but as the kids get older thier tolerance will improve when you enter those bio stinger thingo swarms and jelly swarms. Often they are unbelievably thick but are generally concentrated on the smaller outlying reefs nowhere near as much as on the main reefs where its safer for little kids to have a wall (main reef) on one side as they can paddle to a rock and stand up if they have a freak attack.

cheers

Thanks Peter, vinegar is a good idea again will need to renew it... I forgot. Vaseline thanks for that..so many uses and I will bring a tub for areas around their masks......there would be a few dollars in a spray can of plastic skin that can be applied around the face/ and will not impact mask sealing or use....

Yes weird the array of different level stinging scenarios one encounters in close...can turn kids off altogether and adults can get out of the water early because of them.

Given in the media up here reports of gross numbers of stingers lately we have continued to delay plans to snorkel the close islands with the kids...outer/middle reef at this stage is to far to come home in lumpy stuff with kids on board...possibly a trip in close this weekend....stinger number media reports have slowed at least.....