Sea Urchin "thorns"

[SM Diver]

Thanks, Inlet. I almost never dive the Atlantic side of Florida and am not used to having to be so careful. I don't see many urchins over here on the Gulf side. They were laying around the reefs like tribbles.

The second one got me when I was stringing up a red snapper. I went to grab him by the throat, and when I was reaching under him the urhin got my right hand. Liberty Hound got stuck as well. Those Home Depot $3 gloves are great, but the tops of those things don't offer any protection.

BTW, seastalker shot a 10# mango with a sea urchin in it's mouth. That's a bad a-- mango that can eat a sea urchin!

 

[FredT]

Thanks for all the feedback.
Anyone diving in the Atlantic in 100' right now: Watch Out for the Sea Urchins. They are everywhere.

They have been having red algae problems. The urchin bloom should clean that right up.

As for you, stay dry a week and heal. ANY redness at the end of 10 days or any increase in redness in the meantime means a trip to either your MD or ne suggested by DAN. Most MDs don't have a clue what to do about Ocean related injuries, so they treat them like a shore based one. This "gets by" in the vast majority of cases, but by no means all of them. Zithromax and other 5 day antibiotics are good broad spectrum drugs, but may not cover an infection by some of the non-bacterial planktonic critters. Watch the wounds closely for changes and yell for help FAST if you get any adverse ones. BTW if you have DAN insurance at master level or above your treatment of the wounds will be covered.

FT

 

[H2OMAN211]

I pry mine out with a sharp scerw driver.

 

[TechBlue]

I pry mine out with a sharp scerw driver.

personally I always went for the bottle of rum and a red hot pokerverlord:

 

[erubic]

hey guys this is off topic, sorry in advance. HELP ME please!!! I haven't been diving very long and the other day I thought I would try my hand at getting some lobsters. ha ha ha yea right! I tried and tried but the most I got was a couple of antenas. I took a small rod with a hook tied on the end the second attempt to " hook em in the stomach, it's easy". I think I probably just need some more practice, but it would be easier if I had some help or some tips!! The problem is that when I stick the rod in the hole slowly they usually feel it and take off inside. ( there are a lot of those dang sea urchines all around the hole) Also some tips for finding them would be nice too. ie. depths, water conditons, time of day, etc. I dive of the western coast of Mexico, in puerto vallarta and the surrounding areas.

Thanks in advance for any tips,
Eric

 

[archman]

visit this website.

http://scallopshrimplobster.hypermart.net/lobster/

And you are a bad bad person for using that hook thing!

 

[TechBlue]

hey guys this is off topic, sorry in advance. HELP ME please!!! I haven't been diving very long and the other day I thought I would try my hand at getting some lobsters. ha ha ha yea right! I tried and tried but the most I got was a couple of antenas. I took a small rod with a hook tied on the end the second attempt to " hook em in the stomach, it's easy". I think I probably just need some more practice, but it would be easier if I had some help or some tips!! The problem is that when I stick the rod in the hole slowly they usually feel it and take off inside. ( there are a lot of those dang sea urchines all around the hole) Also some tips for finding them would be nice too. ie. depths, water conditons, time of day, etc. I dive of the western coast of Mexico, in puerto vallarta and the surrounding areas.

Thanks in advance for any tips,
Eric

If you don't stand a chance of getting it, leave it alone. You can't get them all but by the sounds of it you are leaving a trail of maimed and wounded lobsters behind you for no purpose. If your dive skills and bouyancy aren't good enough for you to sneak up on or chase a lobster go back to basics. Ditch the hook and practice, you will never pull a lobster out by its antennae, hopefully you've figured that out and don't do that anymore.

 

[erubic]

archman, thanks for the web site. I got some needed info, plus some good links.

deepbluetech

If you don't stand a chance of getting it, leave it alone.

Thats logical but, if one doesn't know what he is doing, how is going to know if he can get it or not? I have never seen a lobster that was just walking around in the open.

You can't get them all but by the sounds of it you are leaving a trail of maimed and wounded lobsters behind you for no purpose.

I don't want them all, I just want one. lol. :boings: Maybe I should clarify here that I am not leaving a trail of " maimed and wounded lobsters behind me" -and I do understand your concern. One time I managed to get one out of the hole and grabed it. that is when the antenne broke off.

If your dive skills and bouyancy aren't good enough for you to sneak up on or chase a lobster go back to basics.

I believe that my skills and bouyancy aren't the issue here. I have no problem sneaking up on them or even getting really close. I didn't know what to do. One spot where I go is a coral flat. The coral comes up about 2-3 ft. from the bottom and there are holes from boat anchors. The holes usually reach to the bottom. Inside these vertical holes are horizontal "shafts" where the lobsters are. I can hover over the holes or look inside the shafts inverted and I have never damaged the coral- my first priority.

Ditch the hook and practice, you will never pull a lobster out by its antennae, hopefully you've figured that out and don't do that anymore.

Done! Yep figured that one out.


well, thanks again guys for the info!!
Eric

 

[Firediver]

I Dive the Bay of Fundy here.. and there are Carpets of sea urchins everywhere. I have been spined 15 times this past summer.. 5 in the knee and in the shin.. and the rest in my hands. Soaking works great. I now where kevlar palmed gloves... and I have ordered a dry suit..dang things won't be going through 7mm heehee... Here urchins are everywhere.. 90' and up..

 

[boney]

I got spiked too once in Jamaica by a black urchin.
The spike went through the tip of my middle finger. They tried to get it out but they couldn't. They just ended up chopping it down and then they had some sort of antiseptic solution that I would douse it with and other than that it just dissolved in about 1-2 weeks... kind of a neat souvenier from the trip.