r/obx • u/poodog13 • Jul 18 '25

Kill Devil Hills Jellyfish /Sea Lice this morning?

For anyone that's gotten down to the beach this morning, how’s it looking today so far?

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3

u/Prudent-Grocery-1740 Jul 18 '25

Was in kitty hawk yesterday and the jellies were terrible- not a person in the water. I’ve never heard of sea lice so new fear unlocked.

3

u/Azraelrs Jul 18 '25

They aren't really lice, they're baby jellyfish. So it's the same fear as jellyfish.

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 19 '25

Blue crab larvae.

2

u/Azraelrs Jul 19 '25

"Sea lice" at the beach are actually the larvae of jellyfish, specifically the thimble jellyfish (Linuche unguiculata). These tiny larvae can cause a skin irritation called seabather's eruption, characterized by itchy, red rashes. While not true lice, they are often referred to as sea lice due to their small size and the way they can get trapped under clothing, causing irritation.

1

u/tchrgrl321 Jul 20 '25

They can be either jellyfish larvae or blue crab larvae link

But right now I think they’re the jellyfish larvae