In this first month of the summer season, Meduseo publishes the ranking of towns most affected by jellyfish in July 2023. In July, beaches in France, Spain and Italy were hit by a significant presence of jellyfish, affecting bathing in certain regions. In France, Bonifacio in Corsica was the worst affected, with 18 days of jellyfish, while in Spain, Ciutadella de Menorca topped the list with 21 days. In Italy, Cervia recorded 10 days with jellyfish, making it the worst affected town in the country. The coastal regions of Corsica, the Côte d'Azur, Menorca, the Adriatic, Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily were mainly affected.
Summary
First and foremost, it is important to report a small methodological point. Our ranking, as displayed on this page, is based solely on user reports from July 2023. An average of jellyfish presence, ranging from no jellyfish to a high presence, is estimated per day and per city. The sum of the number of days where the presence of jellyfish can impact swimming, "a few jellyfish," has been reached (orange, minimum threshold impacting swimming) and is then used to rank the cities. Only the top 15 cities are reported here, possibly fewer in cases where multiple cities have the same score, which would result in a total number of ranked cities higher than 15.
Situation in France
The ranking in France includes 496 coastal cities and over 6000 reports of jellyfish presence.
| Ranking | City | Number of days with jellyfish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bonifacio | 18 | |
| 2 | Ajaccio | 13 | |
| 3 | Saint-Raphaël | 11 | |
| 4 | Cavalaire-sur-Mer | 10 | |
| 5 | Cargèse | 10 | |
| 6 | Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat | 10 | |
| 7 | Centuri | 9 | |
| 8 | Lumio | 9 | |
| 9 | Calvi | 9 | |
| 10 | Castellare-di-Casinca | 8 | |
| 11 | Sainte-Maxime | 8 | |
| 12 | Saint-Tropez | 8 |
At the top of this ranking, we find the town of Bonifacio in Corsica, which was the most affected with a total of 18 days where the presence of jellyfish was reported. Ajaccio, also in Corsica, takes the second position with 13 impacted days. On the Mediterranean coast, Saint-Raphaël in Var ranks third with 11 days affected by the presence of jellyfish. Then, several Corsican and French Riviera cities appear in the ranking, including Cavalaire-sur-Mer, Cargèse, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Centuri, Lumio, Calvi, Castellare-di-Casinca, Sainte-Maxime, and Saint-Tropez, with periods ranging from 10 to 8 days of jellyfish presence on their beaches. These results show that the coastal regions of Corsica and the French Riviera were the most affected by this phenomenon during the month of July.
Number of towns with a quantity of jellyfish that can impact swimming during July 2023 in France
There is also a slight overall increase in jellyfish along the French coasts since early July, with two significant peaks around July 9th and 27th (see graph above). The situation contrasts with the previous period (June) when massive arrivals of jellyfish were observed in the Atlantic sector, earlier and more abundantly than in previous years.
Situation in Spain
This ranking was based on 205 Spanish coastal cities.
| Ranking | City | Number of days with jellyfish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciutadella de Menorca | 21 | |
| 2 | Ibiza | 17 | |
| 3 | La Manga | 17 | |
| 4 | Punta Umbría | 13 | |
| 5 | Islantilla | 12 | |
| 6 | Castelldefels | 11 | |
| 7 | Son Parc | 10 | |
| 8 | Torrevieja | 10 | |
| 9 | Sitges | 10 | |
| 10 | Isla Cristina | 8 | |
| 11 | Gandia | 8 | |
| 12 | Matalascañas | 8 | |
| 13 | Almería | 7 | |
| 14 | Palma | 7 | |
| 15 | Almuñécar | 7 |
At the top of the ranking, we find the city of Ciutadella de Menorca, located on the island of Minorca, with a total of 21 days where the presence of jellyfish was reported, making it the most affected region by this phenomenon in Spain. The second place is shared by two popular destinations for vacationers, Ibiza and La Manga, which recorded 17 days of jellyfish presence on their beaches, respectively. The fourth place goes to Punta Umbría in the region of Huelva with 13 days impacted, followed by Islantilla with 12 days of jellyfish presence. The list continues with Castelldefels, Son Parc, Torrevieja, and Sitges, all of which recorded 10 days of jellyfish presence on their beaches. Finally, Isla Cristina, Gandia, Matalascañas, Almería, Palma, and Almuñécar close the ranking with 8 or 7 days impacted. These results demonstrate that Spanish beaches, especially those along the Mediterranean coast, were affected by the presence of jellyfish during the month of July.
Situation in Italy
Ce classement a été réalisé sur la base de 317 villes cotières italiennes.
| Ranking | ViCitylle | Number of days with jellyfish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cervia | 10 | |
| 2 | Campomarino Lido | 8 | |
| 3 | Taranto | 7 | |
| 4 | Reggio Calabria | 6 | |
| 5 | La Maddalena | 6 | |
| 6 | San Vito Lo Capo | 6 | |
| 7 | Lido di Jesolo | 6 | |
| 8 | Rimini | 6 | |
| 9 | San Pietro In Bevagna | 6 | |
| 10 | Vasto | 5 | |
| 11 | Uggiano La Chiesa | 5 | |
| 12 | Nardò | 5 |
We find the town of Cervia, located on the Adriatic coast, with a total of 10 days where the presence of jellyfish has been reported, making it the most affected region by this phenomenon in Italy. In second position, we find Campomarino Lido, on the coast of Molise, with 8 days of jellyfish presence on its beaches. Next come Taranto in Puglia, Reggio Calabria in Calabria, La Maddalena in Sardinia, and San Vito Lo Capo in Sicily, with each having 6 days impacted by the presence of jellyfish. The ranking continues with Lido di Jesolo in Veneto, Rimini on the Adriatic coast, and San Pietro In Bevagna in Calabria, also with 6 days of jellyfish presence on their beaches. Finally, Vasto in Abruzzo, Uggiano La Chiesa in Puglia, and Nardò also in Puglia, recorded 5 days where the presence of jellyfish was reported.
Number of towns with a quantity of jellyfish that can impact swimming during July 2023 in Italia
At mid-July, there was a significant increase in the presence of jellyfish on the beaches. The situation remained relatively calm for the rest of the month.