Undersea nasties

[60plus]

The advice IS given during training. Look, don't touch. Don't disturb the wildlife.

I know the advice given in training and the course material but it is generalised. Also in training divers are encouraged to kneel on the bottom, what if there was a cone snail in the sand? Regarding conger we were given very specific instructions prior to the dive, however it was on the same dive there was a lionfish in a place where it was likely a hand would be put yet prior to the dive there was no mention of any lionfish at all, yet there were quite a few about. Everyone knows you should not go near a wasps nest, but what choice would you have if you were led through a dimly lit passage and you did not know one was there.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

One diver I know went diving with Humboldt squid while others on the boat were fishing them.

 

[drrich2]

Also in training divers are encouraged to kneel on the bottom, what if there was a cone snail in the sand?

Haven't heard of that happening with a cone shell, but if worries about what might be in the sand bother you, here's fuel for paranoia - DevonDiver's 2012 post,
My first stonefish/demon stinger incident... ouch ouch.

 

[chris kippax]

If anyone is interested it is spelt Irukandji. It is named after a local indigenous tribe. Most people make a full recovery and I think maybe only 2 have died from its sting.

 

[60plus]

Not quite paranoid, just don't want a holiday ruined or worse. Not diving but I have had three holidays curtailed by accidents - eldest son fell on ice rink and did his back, youngest son ran into bollard and broke his foot, youngest son threw a bowling ball at one I was holding and shattered my finger. Perhaps surprising for someone who dives I am allergic to something in the sea. It first stated in 1992 on the way home from Gran Canaria where I had handled a fish whilst fishing. Never had a 100% diagnosis but it seems the "toxin" on the fish makes your flesh ultra sensitive to sunlight when exposed to organisms carrying similar toxins in the water. Have had repeat attacks after being in seawater on Tenerife and Fuerteventura and once after Morecambe bay in UK. Never had it at any other location either in USA, mediterranean, Canaries or Madeira. First attack was brutally painful and I had to be sedated. Subsequent attacks much less severe as I knew what was happening and took medication. Taking Piriton before and during the holiday prevents it. It is not the marine toxin that causes the pain, its the chemicals the body produces in response to the marine toxin.

 

[happy-diver]

No1 nasty

Yee-haw ride 'em US Diver catalogue 1969

and the diver that crashed into my head last night diving

 

[RyanT]

Also in training divers are encouraged to kneel on the bottom, what if there was a cone snail in the sand?

These days, all good training encourages students to maintain neutral buoyancy and not kneel on the sand. There really is never a good reason to do that. Even if you did, however, the chances of an envenomation from a cone snail is a lot lower than getting struck by lightening.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you have a strong inflammatory response to certain things in the ocean. I can certainly empathize with this, but again, concerns about a cone snail envenomation should be low on your list. You are much more likely to experience a problem from a jellyfish/fire coral/hydrozoan sting.

 

[gcarter]

I know the advice given in training and the course material but it is generalised. Also in training divers are encouraged to kneel on the bottom, what if there was a cone snail in the sand? Regarding conger we were given very specific instructions prior to the dive, however it was on the same dive there was a lionfish in a place where it was likely a hand would be put yet prior to the dive there was no mention of any lionfish at all, yet there were quite a few about. Everyone knows you should not go near a wasps nest, but what choice would you have if you were led through a dimly lit passage and you did not know one was there.

It is generalized, yes. As in just don't do it.

I won't say I never touch the bottom because I do, more in some environments than in other. My training never encouraged me to do that though.

Why is it likely a hand would be put somewhere? Even if you have to put your hand somewhere, why would you not first check to see what you would actually be touching? Would it be OK if there were some other fish there instead of a lionfish? A briefing should not need to tell you not to be leaning on the wildlife.

 

[60plus]

The lionfish was sat in the top of a corroded off pipe jutting up from the deck just aft of the funnel. It was hidden with quite a bit of weed. Visibility was poor and there was a swirling current in the area, that suddenly pushed you towards the pipe. The easy way to stop your body being washed onto the jagged corroded metal was to put a hand out and push away from it.
A briefing should identify the main hazards in an area - that is part of good dive planning.
Another example of why local knowledge / briefing is necessary is. Most divers tend to have a look at structures on the sea bed. I saw a structure but the guide did not take us near it. After the dive I asked what it was. It was a anchor frame for attaching surface water sports equipment to. The reason you should not go near was a number of anchors could suddenly be dropped onto it.

 

[TMHeimer]

If anyone is interested it is spelt Irukandji. It is named after a local indigenous tribe. Most people make a full recovery and I think maybe only 2 have died from its sting.

Thanks for the correction. I googled it and while only 2 have died since 2002, it says 50-100 are hospitalized yearly, with most recovering fully with correct treatment. The symptoms are apparently very painful. It said it's one of the most venomous jellyfish.