Santa Catalina, Panama: stinging plankton

[windcatcher]

We have just got back from Santa Catalina, Panama. We had three days of diving in different locations. Fantastic! A lots of different fish. Not rich with corals or plants. Water was 80 degrees even at 90 feet depth.
The only disappointment was the stinging plankton. It looks like pink strings with knots. Everyone got stung. My advice: get full body protection, including gloves and a hood. I've got allergic reaction and it looked like what you get from poison ivy without itching. It got very bad in two days, but luckily, my husband found prednisone (10MG) tablets in our medicine bag. It took me six days to recover from rash on my skin.
So even if you get full body neoprene skin, the plankton still can get your lips and you never know if you are allergic to it, until you get it. Take prednisone (10MG) tablets with you on a trip. It will help.

We have stayed in La Buena Vida Hotel. Nice service, but pricy ($90). I know that you can get new rooms with AC and even closer to the beach for $35/room through Scuba Coiba.

 

[tommy tiger]

Thanks for reminding me of some Dive Adventures !

It's interesting that you mention this. I have encountered stinging plankton in Zane Grey creek which is an ocean tidal feed,to the Long Key salt water lake. On Long Key in the Florida Keys. The Sting was unpleasant with some marking of my Skin, hard to tell if this is just a less virulent variety of the plankton You encountered or just my resistance to the sting.

I once had the idiotic compulsion to touch a beautiful black sea urchin off The isle of shoals in Maine, The spine of that sea urchin entered my finger quicker than a hypodermic needle EVEN Though i was wearing a thick Rubber glove.My Dive partner upon surfacing said "What the hell did you do that for " My only stupid answer " I don't Know" my Whole Arm's soreness for the rest of the day led to my brilliant conclusion No Touchi which i've heard, as a rule of thumb from a south Vietnamese Soldier Recently about stuff there during the War. I Now know A sore Arm was A Light duty consequence of a black sea urchin Sting.

I have been stung by many different land type critters, lots of bees, fire ants and even a green caterpillar and never had,fortunately, any adverse reactions.The green monsters, in sting not size, hang out in Sea grape trees. A state park Ranger stung on Long Key exhibited severe life threatening symptoms (Massive swelling of his neck Yikes!!) to the same green caterpillar Sting which i encountered. The sting itself is very unpleasant It feels like a bunch of bees stinging at once.

Thanks it's good to be aware of both land and sea critters in the Locale your in.

 

[mselenaous]

When I lived in Santa Catalina Panama, I kept a small bottle of vinegar handy to neutralize the "mal aqua" as soon as I (or my customers) climbed out of the water. Even wearing a full suit, the most annoying was on unexposed areas like lips, cheeks, etc. Hydrocortisone cream as soon as I bathed helped too. I saw La Buena Vida under construction under Michael's direction and loaned Michelle books for ideas for her sealife tile work. I'm surprised prices there have gone up so much.

 

[windcatcher]

When I lived in Santa Catalina Panama, I kept a small bottle of vinegar handy to neutralize the "mal aqua" as soon as I (or my customers) climbed out of the water. Even wearing a full suit, the most annoying was on unexposed areas like lips, cheeks, etc. Hydrocortisone cream as soon as I bathed helped too. I saw La Buena Vida under construction under Michael's direction and loaned Michelle books for ideas for her sealife tile work. I'm surprised prices there have gone up so much.

I'll bring vinegar to my next trips. May be it will help. Hydrocortisone cream didn't help probably because I've got allergic to stinging. Michelle did a great work indeed with decorating.

 

[windcatcher]

Thank you. It's good to know what not to touch!

 

[psiborg1812]

One thing that will help most stings is soaking the affected limb in hot water, not scalding, but hot, for about 30 minutes. This denatures the proteins that make up the poison. Any specific questions about stuff you guys should ask DAN.

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/myaccount/mscc/emailmedic.asp