fireworms??

[bnkysgrl]

I have seen pictures but have never seen one up close (thank god), and son't know a whole lot about them. I have heard from some people that they are currently experiencing them on the manta night dives and that for this reason the mantas are no shows. Anyone know anything about these? How long do they stick around in such large concentration? Are they only a real problem at night or will this affect day dives as well? Any info is greatly appreciated!!

 

[bluemagoo]

There's a bristle-type worm that crawls around rocks; about3-4in long, brownish with lots of white tufts. The tufts are like tiny needles that really irritate the skin. We don't seem to have big sponges but we do have small ones, mainly in sheltered overhangs, and some can stick you with tiny slivers. It's impossible to tweeze-out the needles; using sticky tape can remove some. There's also some varieties of seaweed that can really irritate the skin; it's horrors once it reaches the tender parts inside your swimsuit. Then there are your various stinging jelly blobs; some are microscopic as in the recent outbreak in Ke'ehi Lagoon. Thanks to an observant lifeguard, we also now know to expect box jellies to swarm (south and western Oahu beaches for sure) in about 7-10days after a full moon. Eastern (Oahu) shores can expect man-o-war to be blown in by the tradewinds. A good book to have is "All Stings Considered" by husband-wife team, Craig Thomas MD and Susan Scott RN -- be warned, if you're squeamish, a few of the pictures are graphic.

 

[chepar]

I have seen pictures but have never seen one up close (thank god), and son't know a whole lot about them. I have heard from some people that they are currently experiencing them on the manta night dives and that for this reason the mantas are no shows.

I just did the manta ray dive this past Friday night. I've not heard that about the fireworms - at any rate, I didn't see anything like that on Friday's dive.

3 mantas showed, which I was told was about average. It took a while for them to appear on a regular basis to feed, as the plankton level was rather low and it took a while for our lights to attract them. I was told by the DM that sometime the week previous they had the highest count of mantas so far for the year - 17 in one night. Not sure how they could keep track and count that many accurately, but it sounds like there were definitely a lot.

 

[bnkysgrl]

Thanks for the info, I will look for the book. Apparently they show up for two- three days this time every August to spawn.
They had a no show last night on Mantas and then upon returning to the service saw all of the fireworms.
we did read about all the Mantas last week and have seen the number spotted go down to nill since then, we are just hoping that they have returned by the time we get there!
Thanks again for the info.

 

[friscuba]

Thanks for the info, I will look for the book. Apparently they show up for two- three days this time every August to spawn.
They had a no show last night on Mantas and then upon returning to the service saw all of the fireworms.
we did read about all the Mantas last week and have seen the number spotted go down to nill since then, we are just hoping that they have returned by the time we get there!
Thanks again for the info.

You are correct on the fireworms. It's generally a two-three day event and I've seen it almost every year up north. We seem to have had them more frequently back in the day that the dive was held off the Kona Surf. I've never had troubles coming up through it, but I'd hate to be snorkeling in it.

As far as the mantas, there were none Saturday, 2 or 3 on Sunday and none again last night. In the last two months or so there've only been 3 nights where they haven't been around. I would'nt worry about it too much, I think it's likely more of a low plankton issue than the fireworms. August through early October is usually pretty darned good, except when the plankton level drops for a few days, generally once it picks back up the manta activity follows.

Have fun.

 

[LioKai]

Like Steve, I am out there 3-4 nights a week. Monday night I had several snorklers and 7 divers on my boat, and no one was harmed by the worms. During the spawning process they do not sting. While I do not know for a fact why they do not sting during spawning, I would guess that it is because they run the risk of injuring each other. In an effort to protect their spawn as well as themselves during spawning they might have another form of defense similar to a lobster. When a lobster molts (sheds) it shell it gives off a nasty scent that its preditors can smell for a great distance. Since worm spawn is zooplankton (manta food) it is no great leap of faith to assume that the worms might have a way of defending their spawn to give them a chance to reach blue water. I do not know this for a fact, I am speculating, but this could be the reason for the manta no show. Another reason for the mantas not showing up could be that they didn't feel like it. The only real fact is they didn't show up at the usual dinner table, and it happens from time to time. As Steve noted, the mantas have not shown up 3-4 nights out of the last 60+ nights.

 

[friscuba]

Just a quick note. I went out with another operator who was short handed tonight (wednesday) and we had 2 mantas the entire time and no fireworms.