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> > It was then that the troop unanimously decided to cut the camping trip short and go to the beach, which was far more our speed. We got into the water...
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> > And we promptly came right back out. All of us got sea lice.
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> Sea lice??!! I've never heard of sea lice. Is that something that's indigenous to the Florida area (i.e.: Atlantic, Gulf, or otherwise), or do I now need to start worrying about picking up lice at the beach, even though I never have before? There's nothing quite like an all new paranoia.

Ewww, sea lice. I hate them. They're the mosquitoes of the sea. Little crustacean-type pale transparent thingies about the size of a pea. They hang out in the shallow water on selected flat muddy beaches and they get inside your swimsuit and you end up covered in bites like really bad mosquito bites.

The worst thing is that they only bite the bits *under* clothing. You're fine if you swim naked. Otherwise, well, the bits you usually cover up with a swimsuit are usually also the bits you would least like to have a nasty rash on.

Also, there are some really nasty fishing spots where sea lice hang out. You just manage to get a nice big fish on your line and by the time you pull it up it's covered in icky little bugs and there's no WAY you want to take THAT thing home and eat it.

Brunnen-"fortunately there's plenty of places without them"G