Along the same lines of the "My first lionfish meal" thread.
I got to experience my first lionfish sting last week. Let's just say it's not a very pleasant experience but it is not the end of the world. Pain maybe lasted around 2-3 hours. As with any sting, the pain varies on the person and their reaction and I'm sure the amount of venom and the severity of the sting.
It happened 10 minutes into my 2nd dive so I completed the majority of my dive with pain in my hand but I didnt cancel the dive. I didnt feel the need. I didnt say this just to be macho but just to say that if you do get stung, don't panic. If you're not the type of person to have severe allergic reactions then you most likely don't have anything to worry about. (I know most people don't know if they react until it happens but in my case I knew I was fine). I know for me I was able to complete the dive, even with the discomfort. Panicking would only lead to more problems or rapidly depleting air.
Hot water definitely helps for the envenomation; I can attest to that. I believe this is the DAN recommended treatment as well. After soaking my hand in water as hot as I could stand for about an hour the majority of the pain completely went away leaving on the swelling. Lionfish venom contains many heat labile proteins, and heat will breakdown these proteins. I dove the next day fine without any issues. About 4-5 days later, everything was fine. The swelling went away completely.
I just wanted to say that the reason I got stung was my own fault and I knew very well what the risk were. We were purposely hunting/spearing lionfish outside the marine park and I was in the process of cutting the venomous spines off one when this occurred. Lionfish are not normally aggressive and their spines are for defensive purposes. Unless you happen to land on one or stick your hand on one you are not likely to be stung.
The day before, prior to being stung we had a lionfish fest after spearing around 18 of them. Wet Wendy's was kind of enough to prepare them in many different ways for a great price. lionfish vera cruz, fried lionfish, lionfish with garlic, blackened lionfish, an lionfish ceviche. The options are endless and very tasty. I think my favorite is just plain old fried and breaded lionfish.
One tip if you do get stung, the hot water from the boat exhaust will help tremendously if you're far from land or the boat doesn't have another hot water source.
I got to experience my first lionfish sting last week. Let's just say it's not a very pleasant experience but it is not the end of the world. Pain maybe lasted around 2-3 hours. As with any sting, the pain varies on the person and their reaction and I'm sure the amount of venom and the severity of the sting.
It happened 10 minutes into my 2nd dive so I completed the majority of my dive with pain in my hand but I didnt cancel the dive. I didnt feel the need. I didnt say this just to be macho but just to say that if you do get stung, don't panic. If you're not the type of person to have severe allergic reactions then you most likely don't have anything to worry about. (I know most people don't know if they react until it happens but in my case I knew I was fine). I know for me I was able to complete the dive, even with the discomfort. Panicking would only lead to more problems or rapidly depleting air.
Hot water definitely helps for the envenomation; I can attest to that. I believe this is the DAN recommended treatment as well. After soaking my hand in water as hot as I could stand for about an hour the majority of the pain completely went away leaving on the swelling. Lionfish venom contains many heat labile proteins, and heat will breakdown these proteins. I dove the next day fine without any issues. About 4-5 days later, everything was fine. The swelling went away completely.
I just wanted to say that the reason I got stung was my own fault and I knew very well what the risk were. We were purposely hunting/spearing lionfish outside the marine park and I was in the process of cutting the venomous spines off one when this occurred. Lionfish are not normally aggressive and their spines are for defensive purposes. Unless you happen to land on one or stick your hand on one you are not likely to be stung.
The day before, prior to being stung we had a lionfish fest after spearing around 18 of them. Wet Wendy's was kind of enough to prepare them in many different ways for a great price. lionfish vera cruz, fried lionfish, lionfish with garlic, blackened lionfish, an lionfish ceviche. The options are endless and very tasty. I think my favorite is just plain old fried and breaded lionfish.
One tip if you do get stung, the hot water from the boat exhaust will help tremendously if you're far from land or the boat doesn't have another hot water source.
