Sadly, there are no shortages of nasty urchin species within the Indo-Pacific.
While working overseas, years ago, we often had to deal with, not only punctures from spines; but also, from the more lasting effects of the pedicellaria (see above) -- the flexible, stalked, jawed organs, hidden among them, which are also capable of envenomating, long after any obvious spines are removed.
Perhaps, irritating pedicellaria remained on his suit or even dive skin; they’re tiny; not that obvious, especially against a darker background; though they'd really have to be in contact with the skin. We kept several liters of cheap-o rice vinegar, for soaking suits, boots, etc, after potential contact; though, I had been under the, perhaps, mistaken impression, that there were no highly toxic Hawaiian species.
We took to shaving cream and a razor to remove the pedicellaria (frequently the size of coarsely-ground pepper), if there were many, attached to the skin; and, on one occasion, faced considerable awkwardness explaining, to a girlfriend at the time, why half of one of my legs was shaved, after two weeks at sea, with a bunch of guys.
The bugger that got me was
Toxoneustes ("
dokugaze," in Japan), whose reduced spines are non-venomous, but whose pedicellaria certainly are -- its venom containing a rich, nasty soup of proteins (lectins); steroid "cardioactive" glycosides; and sundry inflammatories. I later discovered that there were even fatalities associated with that urchin, among pearl divers, who were said to have actually lost consciousness after contact; but I only had about a week of the catch-all of "contact dermatitis;" some nasty itching; localized pain; and, later, peeling of the area, which resembled a nasty sunburn.
I now insist upon, at least, a 3 mm surf suit, for the stickier parts of the world . . .
