Anyone been stung by a jellyfish?

[PaulB]

What do they look like? What exactly do they do to you and how bad is it?

 

[Wendy]

PaulB once bubbled...
What do they look like? What exactly do they do to you and how bad is it?

They look like catepillars. And they can shoot there little hairs that cover their body into you, kinda like a porcupine does (I think). I know that even the water surrounding them can contain the 'stinging' parts if you make them made and they shot them out. We were collecting them for a research study, but I never got stung by any.

http://www.diverite.com/gallery/getaway/images/Bristle worms on tower L.jpg

 

[PaulB]

Thanks hun. Nasty little buggers.

Does anyone know where they are primarily located or is it just a run in by chance?

 

[FredT]

scuba_jenny once bubbled...
I have heard about the bristleworms. What about the scorpion fish? I heard those will send you to the hospital in a hurry.

At least with any Atlantic scorpion fish species you will probably live long enough to get to a hospital. Barring allergic reactions to the toxin, like rattlesnake bites and third stage seasickness, they only make you wish you could die! The escaped/released pacific lionfish taking up residence on the east coast wrecks are the only possible exception.

Bristle worms carry a neurotoxin in the impossible to remove hollow silica based bristles. A good dose of bristles will make inhaling difficult if not impossible because of the paralysis of the diaphragm. BTDT, major not fun.

FT

 

[Wendy]

PaulB once bubbled...
Thanks hun. Nasty little buggers.

Does anyone know where they are primarily located or is it just a run in by chance?

I've seen them under Blue Heron Bridge and on some wrecks. I guess they could be anywhere they wanted.

 

[PaulB]

FredT once bubbled...



Bristle worms carry a neurotoxin in the impossible to remove hollow silica based bristles. A good dose of bristles will make inhaling difficult if not impossible because of the paralysis of the diaphragm. BTDT, major not fun.

FT

Sounds like a bowl of cherries. Wendy...if we come across them and I don't realize it, please pull me away lol.

 

[Wendy]

PaulB once bubbled...


Sounds like a bowl of cherries. Wendy...if we come across them and I don't realize it, please pull me away lol.

Sweetie, they aren't going to attack you. They are little, no more than 5 inches long or so I guess. And besides you shouldn't be touching things down there anyway to get stung by them.

 

[PaulB]

Wendy once bubbled...


Sweetie, they aren't going to attack you. They are little, no more than 5 inches long or so I guess. And besides you shouldn't be touching things down there anyway to get stung by them.

It's the little one you have to look out for!

And you said they may have stingy things in the water lol

 

[divebunnie]

Was beginning to wonder if I had stumbled into a different kind of diving site, all that talk of peeing on each other!

The only time I got stung was waaay before my diving days, and not even in the water. I was only young and found a pool of jelly stuff on the beach, which I of course had to put my hand in... ooops. It was like putting my hand into a bunch of nettles. So hearing some of your stories, I guess I got off lightly.

I shall certainly keep my eyes open from now on, really don't fancy what some of you have endured.

There were loads of jelly fish in the Red Sea earlier this month, it was heaving with them, thankfully they were all of the non stingy variety.

 

[Amber]

PaulB once bubbled...


It's the little one you have to look out for!

And you said they may have stingy things in the water lol

Oh don't be such a baby

I found a tiny one once while swimming along in the Keys. Really small and cute. I swam up to it and it ran into my mask and swam off.