Disclaimer - I am NOT a doctor. I am
just a scuba instructor who has been around for a while and has seen
(and been stung by) a lot of things. This is not meant to replace
professional medical advice or replace visiting your doctor or calling
the professionals at Diver's Alert Network
for advice. If any of your symptoms are severe or are affecting your
breathing or pulse, please get yourself to a hospital immediately!
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FIRE CORAL
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| Image by Nhobgood Nick Hobgood via Wikipedia |
FIRE CORALS
- They come in many shapes and sizes, but their brownish orange color helps
distinguish them from the other corals. Fire corals are not true
corals. They secrete a hard skeleton and add structure to the reef like
other corals, but they are more closely related to jellyfish. Among
the more commonly seen types of fire coral are branching fire
corals and encrusting fire corals.
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| Image by Nhobgood Nick Hobgood via Wikipedia |
Branching fire corals often have
white coloration near their tips. Encrusting fire corals can form on
anything that has been underwater for an extended period of time. Fire
corals can encrust on mooring lines, dock pillars, rocks, shipwrecks, sea weed, and even
other corals.
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| Image by Public.Resource.Org via Wikipedia |
If
you look very closely you can see tiny white hairs or bristles coming
from the fire coral. Each of these fine hairs contains a "nematocyst"
that is barbed and contains a toxin. Fire corals use their barbed
toxic nematocysts by shooting them out to paralyze their prey (plankton)
as well as to defend themselves against potential predators when they get
too close. It's these almost microscopic nematocysts that stick in your
skin and cause you extreme pain when you touch fire coral.
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| Image by Steel Worker 2nd Class Metro Sayre via Wikipedia |
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| Image by Amy Kelley |
To
avoid getting stung, cover your skin with a rash guard or a wetsuit and
keep a safe distance from the reef. If there is a lot of surge, give
an even wider cushion of safety. Divers should practice good buoyancy control, and consider taking PADI's Peak Performance Buoyancy course to improve their control in the water. Be aware that fire coral can encrust
on any underwater surface, so avoid touching, brushing into, or grabbing
onto anything underwater. It is important not to touch things underwater for conservation purposes too - you don't want to harm any underwater organisms! If you find it necessary to hold onto a
mooring line and you are not wearing gloves, look at the line carefully
before deciding where to grab it. Avoid the parts of the line that seem
to be covered in hydroids or fire coral. Instead of grabbing the line
with your whole hand use what I like to call "shrimp claws." That means
grabbing the line delicately with just two fingers.
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| Image by Derek Keats via Flickr |
In saying that, I have been stung by fire coral numerous times. I can tell you from personal experience that it does feel
like fire. It is not pleasant at all. For me, the pain is usually
very intense and gives me a head rush because it triggers endorphins to
help my body cope with the pain. I am usually with students or guiding
divers when it happens, so I do my best to suck it up and pretend like
nothing happened. It most often occurs when there is significant surge
and I am focused on helping another diver rather than paying attention
to my own position in the water.
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| Image by Razvan Marescu via Flickr |
If
you do touch fire coral you will know it. You will feel a painful,
hot, fiery sting, and will probably see a welt or a rash soon after you accidentally brush up against the fire coral.
Avoid the temptation of rubbing the sting, as you will spread the toxic
nematocysts around and end up getting stung even more. Flush seawater
over your sting, and when you get out of the water rinse it with
vinegar. Acids have been proven to stop the nematocysts from continuing
to fire. Later on, the sting location may begin to itch severely. Try
to avoid scratching it. Instead, apply anti-itch medication and take
Benadryl if the itching is unbearable. Tylenol or Ibuprofen can be used
to reduce the pain. If the sting is so bad that it affects your
breathing or pulse, seek emergency medical care immediately.
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STINGRAYS
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| Image by Barry Peters via Wikipedia |
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| Image by Richard Giles via Flickr |
STINGRAYS - Despite
their reputation as man-killers after the untimely death of Steve
Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, stingrays are actually very gentle
creatures. They are by no means "out to get you." However, people can
get stung by stingrays when they feel threatened. Every creature needs a
defense mechanism to survive, and the stingray defends itself by
arching its tail forward and plunging its venomous sharp barb into
whatever threatens it. Stingrays only sting out of self-defense. In
Steve Irwin's case, the stingray felt threatened because Steve hovered
too closely and directly above it. In most cases when someone is
injured by a stingray, they accidentally step on one.
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| Image by Marek Jakubowski via Wikipedia |
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| Image by Adamantiaf via Wikipedia |
Stingrays
eat mollusks, shrimp, crabs, and small fish. They can be found along
the reef, in sea grass beds, and in the sand. They shuffle through the
sand, using mostly their sense of smell and electroreceptors to find
their prey. While resting, stingrays often partially bury themselves in
the sand. Stingrays are quite incredible to watch. They use their
spiracles, the openings behind their eyes, to take in water and to expel
the undigestible bits as they filter through the sand for food. Next
time you are snorkeling or diving and find a stingray, take some time to
observe it, but give it plenty of space.
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| Image by Tomas Willems via Wikipedia |
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| Image by Jlwelsh via Flickr |
To
avoid any negative encounters with stingrays while diving or
snorkeling, do not touch them or corner them. Especially avoid hovering
above them, as that is their strike zone if they feel threatened.
While hanging out at the beach, shuffle your feet through the sand so
you don't accidentally surprise a stingray hiding in the sand.
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| Image by Andrew Beckwith via YouTube |
I
cannot say firsthand how badly a stingray sting hurts, since I have
never been stung by one. However, I am certain that it is an extremely
unpleasant and very painful experience. It would be like being stabbed
with a serrated knife, plus the effects of the venom.
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| Image by Freebin via Wikipedia |
If
you get stung by a stingray, stay calm. Remove the stinger (unless it
is in a vital organ, such as with Steve Irwin). Apply pressure to stop
the bleeding. Evaluate the severity of the symptoms, and determine
whether or not emergency medical care is necessary. Typical symptoms
include pain, swelling, bleeding, and muscle cramps. If bleeding is
severe and uncontrollable or breathing or circulation are affected,
consider it a medical emergency and get to a hospital immediately. If
it's not an emergency, soak the wound in hot water (but don't burn
yourself!) for 30-90 minutes to deactivate the venom and relieve the
pain. You can take a painkiller such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen to ease
the pain, and an antihistamine such as Benadryl to relieve itching and
swelling. Keep the wound clean and monitor it for signs of infection.
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| Image by Symac via Wikipedia |
Diver's Alert Network, also known as "DAN," is the dive industry's number one dive safety resource. Every diver should have their phone number, since they are the best resource for dive safety. They have a 24 hour emergency hotline, as well as an information line for non-emergency medical questions. Even non-members can get free advice. I highly recommend becoming a DAN member, since they provide affordable and high quality dive insurance, travel insurance, a monthly magazine called "Alert Diver," and a wide variety of dive safety educational resources.
DAN Non-emergency medical information line
+1-919-684-2948
Mon-Fri 8:30am to 5:00pm EST.
+1-800-446-2671
A
big "Thank You!" to our local diver John F. for suggesting this blog
topic! I look forward to hearing everyone's ideas and suggestions for
future blog topics. Feel free to leave comments on this blog or on our Aqua Action Divers Facebook page.
