I was looking forward to a dip in the sea at Arcachon.  It was September.  The waters in Arcachon Bay had had the whole of the summer to warm up.  It should have been a balmy bath in comparison to some of the chilly seas I had previously swum in.  I was stripped off and ready to extend that first big toe into the briny when I spotted the first mauve stinger.  It was washed up on the beach, close to the tide-line, and it pulsated danger.  And, as soon as I spotted that first one, I began to spot more.  All similarly stranded; all similarly gruesomely fascinating; all making me rethink the advisability of a swim in these waters.

Unusual for jellyfish, with the mauve stinger both the bell and the tentacles contain stinging cells and, although not dangerous, its sting can be painful.

I felt rather sorry for the stranded specimen, which even the circling gulls shunned.  It had a certain grotesque beauty, but I had little appetite for meeting one in its home environment.

It was going to be back to the cold seas for me, where even the jellyfish think twice before venturing.

© E. C. Glendenny

E. C. Glendenny dips a toe in the water.