Thousands of swimmers have been stung by bluebottle jellyfish in Queensland, Australia, forcing the closure of popular beaches in the middle of summer.
Around 13,000 stings have been recorded in the past week, as unusually strong winds push the jellyfish close to the shore.
The number is three times more than in the same period last year.
“A whopping 3,595 people were stung by #bluebottles over the weekend,” Surf Life Saving Queensland tweeted.
“Due to the northeasterly winds, we will continue to see bluebottles hanging around.”
They said on Monday that a 32-year-old woman had been taken to hospital following a particularly severe sting.
They added that over 25,000 people were still enjoying patrolled beaches in Queensland and lifeguards had treated 304 bluebottle stings.
People can be stung in the water or on the sand by bluebottle jellyfish colonies, which appear like blue-tinged sacs measuring up to 15cm (6 inches) long.
Stings are typically mild and treated with ice or hot water.
It follows a recent spate of people being stung by the deadly box jellyfish in Queensland.
The number of people taken to hospital with suspected box jellyfish stings has so far been 20 - double the 10 year average.
A 25-year-old man and 47-year-old woman were taken to hospital by rescue helicopter after it was suspected they were stung off Fraser Island at the weekend.
