Meduseo, an app that locates jellyfish in real time
Pelagic jellyfish are very common in the Mediterranean Sea © Istock
Meduseo is a totally free application!
Jellyfish are becoming more and more common on our coasts and are a real scourge for bathers. Imaging research engineer Jérémy Deverdun has invented Meduseo so we can avoid being stung or burned by the marine animals found in the Mediterranean.
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A preventive role
Since 2019, it has been possible to check in advance that the beach we are interested in isn’t infested with jellyfish, via the participative map on the Meduseo website (available as an app on Android).
If there is a yellow dot, it means there are very few jellyfish around. An orange dot indicates there are some, and a red dot warns of a strong presence. Other information is included, such as how long the jellyfish waves should last, calculated by taking currents and winds into account.
Bathers and sailors can now record the places where they have encountered these gelatinous creatures, giving the name of the town, the date, the time and the type of jellyfish, if they are identifiable.
Jellyfish in their thousands
Meduseo recorded over 6,000 reports in July of last year. According to the data, the town of Bonifacio in Corsica was the most prone to jellyfish, with 18 days recorded. It was closely followed by Ajaccio (13), Cargèse (10) and Riviera towns such as Saint-Raphaël (10), Cavalaire-sur-Mer (10) and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (10).
Also available in Portugal, Italy, the UK, Morocco, the USA, Australia and soon in Japan and Africa, the app could well save our holidays!