Stinging Marine Plant life...

[Guba]

Need positive ID on a sea critter? This sounds like a job for ThalasamaniaMan! (professional marine taxonomist)

How about it, Thal? Is the picture clear enough for this one to key out?

 

[Joe-Diver]

Hard to tell from the picture....maybe, fire coral encrusted Black Sea Rod?

 

[psychocabbage]

Fire coral is very different. I think far too many people wave the "Fire coral" flag all too easily without knowing exactly what it is..

Having identified that, I can say the bits I have seen are not easily brushed up against in Cozumel.

This Hydroid on the other hand, is all over the place!!! I suspect it is the cause for most of the hits people sustain.

 

[Joe-Diver]

Meh...just taking a stab at it....I've seen fire coral encrust on all sorts of things in Coz....

 

[Smoochy]

My other half was attacked by this same annoyance while down there last week. It was black, and it looked like a branch with a ton of spiky hairs on it... that's the best way I can describe it. It left a bunch of red dots and a rash on his hand. Luckily I was spared. Like your situation, it was drifting in the current and it just brushed his hand as it went by. In fact, he STILL has marks.

 

[psychocabbage]

My other half was attacked by this same annoyance while down there last week. It was black, and it looked like a branch with a ton of spiky hairs on it... that's the best way I can describe it. It left a bunch of red dots and a rash on his hand. Luckily I was spared. Like your situation, it was drifting in the current and it just brushed his hand as it went by. In fact, he STILL has marks.

Yup.. I still have marks and from my research, you have no options. They have suggestions but nothing that says this will help definatively.. And I never take any meds for anything so I am just dealing with it.

Just let it run its course.

So its not a plant and its a living thing.. It should perish from this world along with mosquitos.. Thats just my take on it.

If you do the Devils Throat dive, along one of the caves, there is an opening goind down about 20 or so feet. Near the bottom is the larges tree of this damned hydroid I had ever seen.. Devil indeed.