Sea Lice Outbreak Makes Ocean City Beach-Goers Miserable. [View all]

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Swimmers at Ocean City beaches have been plagued by sea lice this week. The pests are actually the larvae of jellyfish and carry a sting.

OCEAN CITY, MD — Swimmers at Ocean City beaches have been plagued by sea lice this week. The pests are actually the larvae of jellyfish and carry a sting. Which is awful timing when this weekend's forecast calls for sunny skies and highs in the low 80s at the Eastern Shore.

The water infestation isn't limited to Ocean City, said the town's beach patrol on Facebook Thursday. "The Eastern Seaboard is experiencing this nature phenomenon. Sea lice is really larvae. They can get into bathing suits while swimming and cause discomfort. Our best advice is to rinse with fresh water," the patrol said.

Laura Gwyn of Potomac told The Baltimore Sun her two kids, ages 13 and 15, were stung by sea lice while swimming near 89th Street. They had heard about the sea lice, but decided to jump in when a lifeguard said that quickly rinsing off would get rid of the critters.

"They were fine for probably 10, 15 minutes," Gwyn said. Then, "they started losing their minds," and ran out of the ocean, scratching frantically, she said.'

https://patch.com/maryland/annapolis/sea-lice-outbreak-makes-ocean-city-beach-goers-miserable?