You may be wondering what on earth this ridiculous fashion item has to do with Tropical North Queensland but as the locals know, there are a lot of very good reasons for wearing onesies outside the home.
The North Queensland version of a onesie is the stinger suit. They are full-length one-piece lycra suits with a hood and gloves that cover your whole body except for your face.
They are oh-so-practical, but to be honest, even Australian beauties like Miranda Kerr would be struggling to pull off the look.
While they come in many different colours, none of them come close to being cool or glamorous. You won’t see these onesies gracing the fashion pages of magazines but, despite this, you should definitely wear one.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]so why do we wear them?[/headline]
There are a lot of very important reasons for embracing the stinger suit look:
- Late October to May is stinger season in North Queensland (including as far south as the Whitsundays). At this time of year the deadly box jellyfish inhabits the waters along the coast and stinger suits provide protection against their venomous stings.
- For an added bonus, stinger suits also protect you against the harsh tropical sun. This is especially important when snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef as sunburn on the backs of your thighs can be a painful reality.
- If you are wearing a brightly coloured stinger suit whilst snorkeling off the back of a boat, it also makes it very easy for the tour operators to spot you and send help if you’ve swum too far away.
- They are a lot easier to get on than a wet suit!
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]how good is the protection against jellyfish?[/headline]
These ultra light-weight lycra suits are made from breathable fabric that doesn’t absorb water. They basically provide a layer of second skin, which is not recognisable to jellyfish.
When a jellyfish’s tentacles touch the lycra suit it doesn’t perceive the person wearing it to be an animal, marine creature or human.
In other words it won’t consider you a threat and release venom from its tentacles as it brushes past.
Unfortunately, jellyfish are very hard to see under water so a stinger suit covering most of your body is a very safe and wise choice, even if you do look pretty silly.
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]how ridiculous are they?[/headline]
Very. But the one saving grace is that most other people around you will be wearing one too.
There is safety in numbers and it does not matter what body shape you have, stinger suits are the great equaliser. At the end of the day, jellyfish stings and sunburn are simply not worth making a fashion statement over, so wear a onesie and stay safe!
[headline size=”small” align=”left”]travel nq fast facts:[/headline]
- All Great Barrier Reef tour operators provide stinger suits to tourists as part of their package
- Wet suits also protect against jellyfish stings
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