Problem in the water...help?

I have a close friend that I am trying to teach how to surf--aside from typical difficulties when teaching people how to surf we have come across another problem. But only approximately half of the surf trips we make she will get 1/32" - 1/4" whelps (or hives) after she has been in the water for half hour or longer and sometimes she doesn’t get anything at all. We have made surf trips at different seasons locally and there seems to be no correlation except I don’t recall her reacting in colder waters. She says she itches a bit and doesn’t really notice them too much until we get out of the water--then they begin to itch and sting a bit. The whelps show up in the sensitive areas mostly--most pervasive areas are inner thighs and behind the legs but will surface even on the back of her hands. They are raised and a slightly redder than the surrounding skin.

My first reaction to this is an allergy. She tried a few of over the counter allergy medications on a few occasions which didn’t seem to work that well but did seem to help a little.

I asked my physician once and he said it was probably the Sargassum, but I don’t think it’s that because we went to Fish Pass several times when there were inordinate amounts of the stuff and she didn’t react at all. It could be sea lice but we tried sunscreen with the sea lice and jellyfish blocking additives.

My question is: has anyone encountered this problem, and if you did what did you do to stop it (if you could at all). I realize that most or all of you aren’t dermatologists, but I was hoping for some home-remedy

Thanks for everyone’s time,

Nick

dont really know..

i do know some folks get hives when they are nervous..

I think it's probably still the baby shrimps. I've talked to alot of people who get allergic reactions.

I get a rash like that on almost every surf trip. The trick is to pre-treat the affected areas with vaseline. If you do that well enough in advance of getting into the water it may help (usually around 30 minutes prior works). Also, make sure you clean off real well with soap and fresh water when you get out of the gulf and treat the affected area again. The vaseline soaks into your skin and helps alleviate the rash and sometimes prevents it.

Thanks everyone...Rusty that is some great advise--I will follow-up with the results again when surf picks up and I can get her back out into the water