The Channel is too cold and dirty for sharks. On the other hand, the channel is replete with jellyfish. The stings are not fatal but are very painful. Usually this happens as I am taking a stroke and what feels like three or four electrified barbed wires are being dragged across my skin- jellyfish tentacles. The skin usually burns for five minutes and then goes numb. Impressive scars then surface the next day. No channel swimmer is complete without his or her own collection!

We have seen sharks (mostly nurse sharks asleep on the bottom) and barracudas but have escaped unharmed so far. Actual attacks by sharks are unheard of in the Caribbean though every once and a while we get a shark attack on a surfer or Abalone diver in Northern California.

Moon jellies are certainly the most common, but several others occasionally make landing. Portuguese man-of-war can often be blown in with a strong storm from the South. Sea Nettle, Mushroom Jellies, and cabbage Head Jellies are also known to be off the coast and can be blown into shore. Lions Mane Jelly Fish are among the rarest to wash up. They can be as large as 8 feet across and have tentacles 100 feet long.

On the whole, no! We do occasionally get some stingers in the water, but they generally only stay around for a week or two. A wet suit is your best bet against getting stung.

Most jellyfish in Australia are harmless gelatinous creatures with umbrella like bodies and flowing tentacles. However, the box jellyfish, found in tropical Queensland, are extremely nasty. Called stingers they can inflict excruciating pain and even death from a single brush. In the wet season (November to April) they live off the coast and swimming is only advised in enclosed areas (most beaches have these).