The ocean bites back

[Sonicvalley]

in the last 3 minutes of the last dive this weekend, i was coming back to shore and inadvertantley ascended straight into a big lion's mane jellfish. my entire face burned and got swollen for the rest of the day. i searched around the forums and is vinegure (sp?) really the best thing for that? something about meat tenderizer? what have you guys found that works the best (yes, i know, aside from not touching them :nurse: )??

 

[Diver0001]

in the last 3 minutes of the last dive this weekend, i was coming back to shore and inadvertantley ascended straight into a big lion's mane jellfish. my entire face burned and got swollen for the rest of the day. i searched around the forums and is vinegure (sp?) really the best thing for that? something about meat tenderizer? what have you guys found that works the best (yes, i know, aside from not touching them :nurse: )??

Meat tenderizer only works if you hit it with a hammer.... LOL .... Ok, I'm joking.

Vinegar is probably best as first-aid. I'd go see your doctor and see if he/she has anything better. Got any pictures? I'm curious how it looks.

R..

 

[ScubaFreak]

in the last 3 minutes of the last dive this weekend, i was coming back to shore and inadvertantley ascended straight into a big lion's mane jellfish. my entire face burned and got swollen for the rest of the day. i searched around the forums and is vinegure (sp?) really the best thing for that? something about meat tenderizer? what have you guys found that works the best (yes, i know, aside from not touching them :nurse: )??

OOOowwwww...maybe this belongs in diving medicine?
The only thing I DO know about stings is that there is a gel that you can get in a lot of large drug stores that are specifically for jellyfish stings. I carry it with me all the time and luckily haven't needed to use it. It comes in a small sachet and it's kinda a gel-like substance.
Maybe try there ??

 

[Kim]

in the last 3 minutes of the last dive this weekend, i was coming back to shore and inadvertantley ascended straight into a big lion's mane jellfish. my entire face burned and got swollen for the rest of the day. i searched around the forums and is vinegure (sp?) really the best thing for that? something about meat tenderizer? what have you guys found that works the best (yes, i know, aside from not touching them :nurse: )??

Oooowww! My instructor warned me years ago about watching out what's above when ascending! I bet you won't do that again! :11:
I'll move it to Diving Medicine for you - maybe one of the Doc's can give you some good advice.

 

[Sonicvalley]

as far as a picture,

:redface: :redhot:

pick one

 

[DBailey]

A quick online search:

http://emedicinehealth.com/articles/6277-6.asp

http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/crc/studies/crc00-03.htm

 

[chickdiver]

Vinegar- regular white vinegar. 59 cents at your local grocery. The acetic acid is the ONLY substance that kills the nematocyst (stinging cells) in the jellyfish tentacles.

 

[deadend]

Use a little urine!

 

[Zoe83]

OUCH! my fiance got stung by what locals think was a baby man-o-war in fiji..only a little bit on the back of his ear but it was SO red & swollen and they put heaps of crap on it..vinegar, brown stuff (betadine maybe?), and some local stuff..he stunk! lol he also drank 1/3 bottle of vodka which he said helped! So i think vinegar & vodka is the way to go! I hope you never have that misfortune again..

 

[MarkH]

in the last 3 minutes of the last dive this weekend, i was coming back to shore and inadvertantley ascended straight into a big lion's mane jellfish. my entire face burned and got swollen for the rest of the day. i searched around the forums and is vinegure (sp?) really the best thing for that? something about meat tenderizer? what have you guys found that works the best (yes, i know, aside from not touching them :nurse: )??

I get stung all the time. It's kind of hard not to when the tentacles are nearly invisible and can be 20 feet long. I usually don't feel it underwater because my face is numb from the cold water, but sometimes it feels like I'm swimming through cobwebs. After I surface, it feels like a mild burn and the skin is red. I've never bothered to put anything on it. It usually goes away after a couple of hours. No big deal for most people. I don't know if it can be dangerous to some people who are allergic to it (like bee stings).