Mantasscareme:
A non-diving relative of mine had a question, what if you get those bugs in your mouth when putting in the regulator?
Ill advised, at best... but I've seen worse! Much worse...
1985 in Roatan. Night dive. Alan from Ohio came out of the shore dive gagging and gasping. He dropped his Nikonos in the sand and flopped on a rickety wooden bench.
Heart attack?
No-
Sea Wasp bites. Had one laced across his femoral artery, one across the carotid...
and you think that would be enough bad luck ?
Nope- he had switched to using a snorkel and managed to suck one into his mouth while transitioning.
If not for bad luck, this guy had no luck at all.
Doc Radawski (Doc's Dive) came out of the jungle darkness and told us that he would live. We began to divide up his gear, anyway.
Adolph's Meat Tenderizer externally sprinkled on (it works!) and the Epiject Pen brought him back from the dead.
We still tease him about it, now we have shirts that say, "
If you die first, we're splitting up your gear.
[n.b.- Caribbean Sea Wasps (also often colloquialy referred to as 'box jellies') have a clear body that is roughly rectangular with 4 tentacles that dangle below from each corner. Most of them have bodies 2-3" long and 8" tentacles. I have seen some mini critters as well as one with the body the size of a Foster's can and 24" tentacles. Although mostly seen at or near the surface, I have seen them at depth. Scan the water column ahead
and above/up of you. Easy to avoid. Wear the lightest of skin coverings- they can't even sting thru panty hose! To ascend thru a cluster attracted to the lights of your dive boat? Blow a lot of air from your octopus... that'll send 'em reeling away!]
Don't worry, but they're just not good eating!
