Eel Attacks Buddy

[Cudabait]

Mark,

The eel story is interesting. Yes, things can happen in a hurry and come from nowhere. My son was bitten by a moray on the island of Margarita (Venezuela) I was attacked by a 4' barracuda on Utila (Honduras) in February. Ain't diving great???? Stay safe. Glad all turned out well for you both.

 

[Albion]

I had heard that Moray bites can be quite toxic, something to do with their saliva (?????), was there any infection post incident.

I've had a few morays get pretty interested but i now tend to use caution based upon the fact i might end up with nasty infection as well as a bite mark. I was dragged back once by a DM whilst i was busy filming a morays head, which wasnt getting any closer, however i didn't notice that the body was coming out of the hole and coiling up ready to strike me.

 

[mark1967]

scubaspider once bubbled...
The reasoning w/ the fish scent sounds reasonable. I'm just curious, y didnt u try and fight the eel since you said it chased you for a bit??

Also, was there ne way that you could have adminstred first aid underwater at depth or while ascending?? Just curious.

After it bit my buddy, it went for the fish, circled and came up at me...At this point I wasn't sure what had happened, my buddy had floated up and out of my vision, and I was focused on the eel, then he came towards me and I was able to back off fast enough that the knife wasn't needed. I didn't want to get in a fight with him, I would have been bit in the process of killing him..

No chance of first aid at depth...my buddy was in a panic and rushing up the line to the boat. He probably would have bleed to death if we didn't get on the boat and apply pressure with a towel.

Mark

 

[mark1967]

budcris once bubbled...
what wreck where you on when the eel attacked you

Jim Atria, off Fort lauderdale, between Oakland and Las Olas Blvd.

 

[mark1967]

David Evans once bubbled...


You've got a buddy that is bleeding from a pierced vein in his arm at 125 feet and you bothered retrieving the hogfish you had speared?

Yeah, the hogfish was still attached to the speargun...I was still on the deck of the Jim Atria when the eel hit. My buddy went out of my vision and at that point I was focused on the eel and pissed that he wanted that hogfish. A second later I realized that he was in trouble, looked up and saw a green cloud in the water and he started going up... I went towards him and grabbed the speargun floating in the water and pulled the whole thing (fish attached) over to the anchor line and clipped it on.

I accended to the boat to help him, and while waiting for the coast guard to respond, pulled the anchor and threw everything on the deck of the boat, including the speargun and hogfish. It tasted good too...

Mark

 

[mark1967]

Albion once bubbled...
I had heard that Moray bites can be quite toxic, something to do with their saliva (?????), was there any infection post incident.

It's 9 days later, and he went to the hospital last night..His arm was swollen and turning blue...Even with antibiotics, it has a long way to go.

Mark

 

[Gymnothorax]

I just want to reply on the comment about moray eels being toxic. Actually they are not toxic its just they're mouth is very dirty like humans believe it or not and what it is, is a bacterial infection. The same thing would happen if your best friend was to bite you. You would get a bacterial infection.

 

[mark1967]

yes, i agree....the infection is gone, but he still has the puncture wounds to remind him.

thanks,

mb