EXPERTS have predicted a peaceful summer for swimmers on the Costa del Sol after confirming that ocean currents are trapping jellyfish swarms far out at sea.
The much-dreaded creatures have failed to materialise on Malaga beaches throughout June and July – and the same is expected for August.
Even the arrival of the east wind, which usually blows them towards the shore, has not brought any swarms to the coastline.
Marine biologists confirm the current absence of jellyfish is due to the Atlantic jet stream flowing from the Strait of Gibraltar.
This powerful flow of water has created two massive whirlpools in the Alboran Sea, located off the Calaburras lighthouse and Motril.
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These well-established gyres are acting as a natural barrier, keeping the invertebrates locked away from the province.
The phenomenon is particularly effective at trapping the Pelagia noctiluca, a small reddish species notorious for its painful stings.
Francisco Franco, director of the Costa del Sol Coastal Sciences Chair, explained that a lack of spring rainfall helped keep these protective currents intact.
“Currently, the two gyres are closed and very well established, which is why we haven’t had visits from jellyfish swarms since the start of summer,” he told local daily Malaga Hoy.
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He added that unless an unlikely front of Atlantic storms arrives to break up the currents, August will remain clear.
Jesus Bellido, a biologist at the Aula del Mar, noted that there is no indication of impending trouble.
“We don’t have a single indicator to suggest we are going to have a difficult month,” he said.
The reassurances will be a relief for holidaymakers and expats who recall the catastrophic summer of 2018, when consecutive swarms heavily infested local beaches.
A new artificial intelligence tool called Oceanaria has now taken over tracking duties from the inactive Infomedusas app.
Developed by the University of Malaga, the mathematical model currently predicts a less than 20% chance of jellyfish reaching the shore over the next five days.
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