Fire Coral - Lessons Learned

[Goldengrace]

First, let me say I will never dive (or snorkel) without a suit or at least a long sleeve shirt. (Duh) Second, I'd like to say that there is at least one person - me - that has been dealing with fire coral for over a year and a half. I brushed against some while free diving off of Tortola (British Virgin Islands) May of 2001 and I'm still dealing with it. I have a new definition of pain now. Used vinegar at the time, went to emergency in Tortola, have taken several antibiotics and various cortisone creams. I've had dermatologists turn me away, wound centers scratch their heads and my poor general physician has run out of ideas. I am of the belief that my alergy to hard shell seafood is a factor. I'm glad to read that most people are done with this in a day or two, but I'm at a loss for this 'down the road' treatment. I live in the Seattle area and I'd like to find a dermatologist that might have clue. I'd also like to hear from anyone who has had a serious 'burn'. I'm afraid next, my arm will just fall off. :laughing: I've got to get this healed so I can go back in the water (not to mention being able to wear long sleeves again!)

 

[paolov]

First, let me say I will never dive (or snorkel) without a suit or at least a long sleeve shirt. (Duh) Second, I'd like to say that there is at least one person - me - that has been dealing with fire coral for over a year and a half. .... I'd also like to hear from anyone who has had a serious 'burn'. I'm afraid next, my arm will just fall off. :laughing: I've got to get this healed so I can go back in the water (not to mention being able to wear long sleeves again!)

FIRE CORAL WOW will i never forget that experience....

My experience was when we were in a group dive. it so happened that one of the divers ran out of air, so we were buddy breathing, the location was inbetween rockformation that causes underwater current to speed up . we just couldn't go up as we just came up from 100 ft drift dive. so we had to do a safety stop, buddy breathing since i had a more than 1,000 cu ft in my tank.

buddy breathing and the need to do a safety stop without going out to drift on the afety stop, i decided to use my free hand to clasp on a rock formation at 20 ft.

as soon as i got hold i felt INSTANT HEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had to let go and grab another spot. looking at my hand i saw the source of the PAIN !!! a fire coral just beside the spot i held on to. after 3 mins of THIS!!!! i had to go up and do our exit with my other hand not letting go of this other guy(a newbie in diving- i became the surrogate DM as the appointed DM had to stay with the other divers.)

on surfacing, i saw the propeller of a boat (a banka) going to hit the head of this out-of-air diver and so i had to push the guy away and that brought me close to the propeller.

This events have instilled in me the respect due fire corals!!!!! STAY CLEAR AWAY FROM THEM !!! it may lead to other troubles.

what i did after surfacing? HA!!!! we just finished 1st dive of 3 dives on sites 1 hour away from our resot. They were Isla dives as we call it (around Sombrero island on the maricaban peninsula, near Anilao batangas) we did a surface interval at Sombrero island, this was around noon time, thank YOU FOR THE BLISTERING SUN, i stuck my hand into the hot sand (remembering the comment of a dive instructor who is by way of profession a marine biologist) that heat would breakdown most proteins of sea creatures like sea urchin stings, jelly fish stings etc.....

It after some additonal heat by the hot sand, i felt releived of the stings of the firecoral. but i had to contend with the irritating itchyness of the stings.

so there is my story. RESPECT them FIRE CORALS

)

 

[DennisS]

Watch out for the bristle worms as well.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

First, let me say I will never dive (or snorkel) without a suit or at least a long sleeve shirt. (Duh) Second, I'd like to say that there is at least one person - me - that has been dealing with fire coral for over a year and a half. I brushed against some while free diving off of Tortola (British Virgin Islands) May of 2001 and I'm still dealing with it. I have a new definition of pain now. Used vinegar at the time, went to emergency in Tortola, have taken several antibiotics and various cortisone creams. I've had dermatologists turn me away, wound centers scratch their heads and my poor general physician has run out of ideas. I am of the belief that my alergy to hard shell seafood is a factor. I'm glad to read that most people are done with this in a day or two, but I'm at a loss for this 'down the road' treatment. I live in the Seattle area and I'd like to find a dermatologist that might have clue. I'd also like to hear from anyone who has had a serious 'burn'. I'm afraid next, my arm will just fall off. :laughing: I've got to get this healed so I can go back in the water (not to mention being able to wear long sleeves again!)

Hmmm ... did you call DAN yet? There are a number of treatments that are more effective under hyperbaric conditions. Not sure if this would be one of them, but it's worth a phone call to find out.

I had a run-in with fire coral in Bali a couple years ago. I was wearing a shorty, and attempting to pose for a photo at the Liberty when my knee brushed up against it. I applied the vinegar as soon as I exited the water, and the burning sensation ceased fairly quickly. But the area bubbled up like poison ivy and itched for about a month before finally going away.

It was more a nuisance than anything else.

BTW - Goldengrace ... we're neighbors (I live in Fife). If you're looking for a dive buddy sometime drop me a PM. I'm always up for meeting fellow divers.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Saturation]

A rash persisting after 2 years is unlikely fire coral at this point. Its likely a secondary reaction, like eczema or atopic dermatitis. A University dermatologist is a good bet, and a biopsy of the rash should settle the issue. As its persisted for so long, its no longer a simple issue of using medicines to make a a diagnosis by treatment. A 2 year lesion requires a definitive diagnosis.

 

[Goldengrace]

Thanks for your note. I've tried dermatologists and wound centers, only to be turned away. The lesions look just like they always have and I can see with a magnifying glass little slivers and an occasional nemocysts (sp?) - with tweezers I can pull them out. I am confident that I HIT the coral rather hard and I am assuming I put them in pretty deep. But, I'm with you... it's time to quit playing around. My hope was to find someone local that had experience with fire coral stings.
Thank you again.

 

[Saturation]

Welcome, but see a real-live doctor preferrably University affiliated or your rash lingers on without a solution.

 

[paolov]

Watch out for the bristle worms as well.

AH yes, now that you mentioned bristle worms as well......

golly!! i won't forget them as well. i saw this curious thing (a year before being certified for scuba diving) crawling along the bottom of the rock and sand floor. i picked it up with a stick and brought it to the beach. and it had such nice coloration i had to touch it, WHAT a surprise i had, they were like those caterpillars with hairy stuff covering them, they give a nasty multiple stings!!!!


)

paolov

 

[diverrick]

Anyone have photos of each so I know for sure what they look like. I used to think I knew what the FC looked like, then a DM pointed out a little tiny corral that he maintained was FC, so now I don't know what ot looks like. My never break rule is never touch anything ever.

 

[Zippsy]

Fire Coral photos (rather varied)
http://www.aquaspherephotography.com/FireCoral.html
http://www.scubarepublic.com/coral_fire_coral.html
http://www.fotosearch.com/BDX279/bxp47917/
http://www6.nos.noaa.gov/coris/glossary.lasso?letter=f
http://www.exotictropicals.com/encyclo/reef/sm_stony/encrust_fire.htm

Bristle Worm photos
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=search&type=full&search=bristle+worm (gosh, I didn’t even know this was here!)
http://fins.actwin.com/species/index.php?t=9&i=311

Stinging Hydroids
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/reef/reef0237.htm
http://www.exploreuw.com/coral_hydroid.html