Jellyfish

[joewr]

Fishkiller,

The last time I wore a shorty was the time I came up through a five foot thick layer of jellyfish that extended for as far as the eye could see. It was one of the few times I did not do a safety stop...the five foot layer was between 20 ft and 15 ft!

Now Barbara and I dive with full wetsuits. If you don't want the warmth of a 2-3mm suit, just use a dive skin. If you want to appear macho, have something macho embroidered on the suit!

Jellyfish stings in general are relatively harmless in that they are not usually life threatening. However, if pain can be avoided, why not avoid it?

By the way, we have seen people that were stung and had large welts on arm and legs for days...


Joewr...Wondering why Mohammed Ali did not sting like a jellyfish and float like manta ray?

 

[Fishkiller]

I am getting a dive skin. I own Henderson GC 3mm but in water over 75 I get to warm.

I have a cool red line on my thigh my sunburn covers my right arm and the ankle ah still swollen not bad I think that I retaining water because my left ankle looks the same.

funny thing about the next three dives everyone had skins on except for me.

 

[syruss32]

Originally posted by Fishkiller
If I am harmless why is it so painful??




With the water temp at 82F I was sans exposure protection except for gloves and swimsuit.


The third tank dive of the day we stopped by “the beach” which was full of sea lions. My buddy and I were the first in the water. We swam out a short way and decided to dropped down and swim to the beach while seeing how many sea lions would play with us. My buddy had problems equalizing his ears so I waited at 25 feet. Looking around there were all these clear jellyfish floating just like the one that stung me the day before, so I swam up and around to avoid them.

Watching my buddy I rose to about 5 feet and then something hit me in the right arm, then my right thigh then ankle. I turned and watched this purple blueish jellyfish break apart as it hit my fin. I swam down to my buddy then realized I was in trouble gave my buddy the wide-eyed two thumbs up sign. On the surface I told my buddy that my entire right side was on fire as we were about 30 feet from the boat, my buddy helped me get to the boat and with my left arm tossed my fins on the boat and lugged myself aboard. The DM a small French guy was of little help to a large person as myself. I was soaked with vinegar while I dumped my equipment I went through a cycle of cold water and vinegar until I could function normally. Once I could move I put away my gear and soaked in vinegar. I felt pretty wimpy when a few other divers talked about being stung by jellyfish on the face and one guy while at the DECO bar kissed one in the safety regulator. I went to the furthest place from the food and people; because I felt wimpy for a large guy, then when my instructor asked what the jellyfish looked like and he told me it was Man O’ War did I feel somewhat better.

Don't worry fishkiller your manhood and ego are safe with us. We would never think to tell your story hehehehe.

But I imagine that anyone getting bit numerous times by a Man-o-War would probably not be tough enough to strutt around saying, "yeah man, that thing stung me like 100 times, but I just toughed it out, gritted my teeth, and got back in the water!"

 

[Rick Murchison]

First, a Man-o-War isn't a true "jellyfish" but a hydroid like Fire Coral. Not that that makes any difference, it'll still sting the livin' daylights out of you.
With most jellyfish, vinegar is used to disable unfired nematocysts, and to therefore prevent further envenomation while the tentacles are scraped (not rubbed) off. *BUT* vinegar is counterproductive for the Man-o-War (vinegar actually causes more nematocycts to fire in the PMOW). *DO NOT USE VINEGAR* for the Man-o-War.
Probably the best way to get rid of any tentacles from Man-o-War encounters is with a salt water spray.
Steroid creams (Hydrocortizone etc) will help reduce the itching and swelling, and local anesthetics can help reduce the pain. Ice is good, too.
With Man-o-War stings you need to watch for respiratory distress and render first aid including rescue breathing if necessary.
Any difficulty breathing should be treated as a medical emergency.
Rick

 

[britishdiver]

Hi all,

As far as I understand it jellyfish "stings" are alkali burns and that the vinigar neutralises this.
We alcays carry lemon juice and hydrocoitzone cream but...

I have it on good authority from a nurse friend that if none of these is availible then urine does the trick mmmm I'm not sure if she's taking or giving the P*ss


Catch u soon.

http://www.britishdiver.com

 

[keralucu]

Gross as it sounds, I have heard the ol' urine remedy works too, Mike...

Fishkiller, seeing as you've now been stung twice perhaps you should consider wearing a skin next time you dive in that particular spot? Third time lucky - or unlucky?? Would hate for you to be in any more pain. Where was it, by the way? Swimming with sea lions sounds amazing!

Take care of yerself, y'hear???? :nono:

 

[captdave]

Here is my experience.
.I dive the Sea of Cortez in Mexico ..Home of the jellyfish and the man of war...A man of war looks like a irredesent purple/blue bubble floating on top of the water. It is wind driven during the season. There is the pacific and portiguese (SP). We have the pacific as the bubbles tend to be smaller..The others have large bubbles..Underneath the bubble there is a thread like purple/blue string that may be 6-12 feet long..This is what stings you as well as the bubble..During storms etc The thread breaks apart and may end up floating in garbage as stated earlier or more likely in floating sea grass. Bits and pieces free float every where. I have been at sea when there were so many of these creatures around the boat it was sureal.
The best cure is prevention. We do not allow any divers without full body protection..This means skins gloves and boots, in the summer.
We did some studies and the University of Arizona to determine which of the home remedies worked and which were wives tales. This is what we found.
Vinegar kills the stinging sells for both the jelly fish AND the man of war..The important thing is to get it off of you by flushing with salt water..Ice or fresh water if stinging cells are present causes them to fire again.. So does Amonia , Urine and Meat tenderizer do nothing. Unless your into goldenshowers.
None of these work!

After removing the stingers and flushing with liberal amounts of vinegar. Allow to dry.Then spray on any of the sun burn sprays (I use Solarcain) untill the victim complains it is too cold..This means the nerve cells are penetrated..This is why ice works if there are no cells present.
Follow up with hydrocortozone creme for itching.
Next administer Benadryl tablets or by Injection.

Some people have severe reations with lymph nodes swellings.Anybody with an allergy to bee stings will react the same with these creatures..We always have a bee sting kit on board just in case.
The above procedure usually leaves the victim pain free within 45 minutes and maybe a little sleepy. By night time they are drinking Margaritas.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Alright gang, let's retire the "folk remedies" and "old wives' tales" and get down to the facts about Physalia physalis, the Portugese Man-o-war.
1. The critter: a colonial hydroid with a pneumatophore (an air filled sack with a raised "sail") on top. It has lots of short and a few long - up to 10 meters - tentacles covered with potent nematocysts that deliver a nasty sting. If the critter that stung you wasn't floating on the surface, it wasn't a Man-o-war.
2. The toxin: a glycoprotein (sugar & protein combined) with a molecular weight of around 240,000 (that's a great big molecule) that readily breaks down into smaller glycoproteins. It is denatured by heating to 60 deg C (140 deg F) (that's *hot* - unfortunately it's hotter than you can stand without blistering from the heat) for 15 minutes. Ether, alcohol or acetone will also denature it.
It causes neurological depression, affecting motor and sensory areas, and also has edema producing properties. Respiratory depression occurs in envenomated animals, and has been described in humans.
3. The affects: There have been a couple of deaths from Physalia stings, and many close calls that have required resuscitation in hospitals. Initially there is a sharp sting. This may be aggravated by pulling on the tentacle, removing it, getting out of the water, rubbing the area or by the application of fresh water. The sting rapidly increases to an intense ache which spreads to involve surrounding joints and then moves centrally. The adjacent axilla or groin may be affected and the associated lymph glands become tender. Duration of severe pain may range from a few minutes to many hours. It is followed by a dull ache which lasts a similar period.
The area affected develops a red line with small white pinpoint lesions, often giving a ladder type pattern, and in sever cases a central weal or blister appears after the redness.The weals only last a few hours, looking like a string of beads, and the redness disappears within 24 hours. Ulceration, permanent discoloration and scarring is rare, but can occur.
The patient may be in mild shock, and may faint when trying to stand; is often pale, cold and sweaty with rapid pulse and low BP; generalized chills and muscle cramps; nausea, pain and vomiting; irritability and confusion are neurological signs.
4. The treatment: DO NOT USE VINEGAR or URINE on Portugese Man-o-war stings. Unlike other jellyfish stings, these mildly acidic solutions do not prevent more nematocysts from firing - they actually cause more nematocysts to fire.
(Even with other jellyfish stings, vinegar does not give relief of pain, it merely stops or reduces further envenomation by reducing further nematocysts from firing)
Remove any tentacles with salt water spray. Apply local anesthetic ointment. (Lignocaine 5% is the best, according to "Dangerous Marine Creatures").
Monitor vitals and treat if necessary.
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Hope this clears up some of the questions on what to do about Man-o-war stings.
Rick

 

[captdave]

WHile I am impressed with the jargon its all wrong....Please where did you come up with this bull.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Field Guide for Medical Treatment
Dangerous Marine Creatures
Carl Edmonds, M.D.
Best Publishing 1995
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"all wrong?"
the only disagreement I see between our posts is on the use of vinegar. (more on that later - I've discovered a paper that addresses this disagreement and will let you know what it says when I've read it)
Solarcaine is fine, as is benedryl - clinical trials, however, suggest that the lignocaine is superior to either.
Rick