Vinegar No Longer Included In My Dive Bag

[DandyDon]

DAN's "Diver Alert" magazine has long been my favorite periodical read and the May/June 2008 issue (not yet available online) includes "Sting Update" with the surprise recommendation not to use vinegar on jellyfish stings other than the Indo-Pacific Box Jelly.* Since I cannot reference the article online yet, I'm attaching a couple of crude scans.

I have carried a 8 oz bottle in my dive bag for 7 years now, used it a few times - once on myself, wondering why it didn't seem to help; got more relieve from the calamine lotion I tried next. I carried a quart to the beach with my grand kids, but now they tell me not to use it; glad we didn't need to - they're both towheads with more delicate skin than I.

Current suggestions for jellyfish stings include...
1-Flush with sea water, not fresh water;
2-Soak in hot water or hot shower around 113F/45C for 30 to 90 minutes ASAP;
3-Remove any remaining tentacles with tweezers;
4-Shave with shaving cream and razor or scrape with credit card;
5-Apply hydrocortisone cream or ointment - I carry that;
6-Monitor for reaction or infection;
And more. I also carry antihistamine tablets and include those in my personal treatment and suggestions.

I don't know why hot water is #2 on that list as it's not going to be available on most dive boats or beaches, and I think I'd want to use tweezers or credit card to remove as much of the tentacles as possible ASAP - then shave and/or use hot water when I can get to those.

There was a special note on Men-of-War: No vinegar! It actually causes those nematocytes to discharge.


* The one exception given is for the Chironex fleckeri of Box Jelly found in some waters between Australia and Asia. This one is probably the most deadly animal for its size other than man, but if you survive long enough to get back on the boat - do use vinegar on that wound. There are chironex species in and near the Caribbean perhaps, maybe not the same specie - not generally considered the same threat at all. Vinegar may or many not be good with those other box jellies...?

I do strongly recommend $29 DAN membership for all divers even if you insure elsewhere. It's a worthy organization and membership includes the magazine subscription and Travel Assist benefits. See DAN Divers Alert Network - Scuba Diving and Dive Safety Association

 

[merxlin]

The same advice is part of the PADI course on Hazardous Marine Injuries. I believe it is now required of DM's.

 

[DandyDon]

DAN also advised against folklore suggestions like urine, oxidizing, alkalis or acidic substances, oil, gasoline, incisions. :silly: Not sure which one meat tenderizer is, but I think it's contradicted. I need to ask them about calamine; it certainly seemed to help.

I am looking forward to responses from the medical professionals here, of course.

 

[diverrick]

LOL reminds me when we took a new, older female diver to the Carribean for her open water dive check outs, she got it on the lips by a thimble jelly. She asked me, "the veteran" what to do for a jelly fish sting, I warned her that she probably would not enjoy it...... I was laughing inside the whole time we ended up using a topical sting med, and a benydryl. But I was tempted to use that old mainstay method..... I told her later, and we both had a good laugh. Keep that vinegar Don, works good on the ears, as well as on salad in a pinch

 

[Darnold9999]

Don - some dive boats have hot tubs so this would work. Hot facecloth or three rotating into a pot of hot water would also probably work.

Good to know however. Always believed the vinegar treatment story. Wonder where it came from?

 

[DandyDon]

Don - some dive boats have hot tubs so this would work. Hot facecloth or three rotating into a pot of hot water would also probably work.

Good to know however. Always believed the vinegar treatment story. Wonder where it came from?

A very few dive boats have hot tubs, I think - but it would probly be good for any sting other than Indo-Pacific Box Jelly, as I think that hot water is also preferred for puncture stings like urchins, rays, lionfish, etc. Hot compress would indeed probly work well. Most boats I've been on in the Caribbean, Gulf, Atlantic don't have heads or hot water at all - doing good to get a camera bucket. Just depends.

 

[Thalassamania]

DAN also advised against folklore suggestions like urine, oxidizing, alkalis or acidic substances, oil, gasoline, incisions. :silly: Not sure which one meat tenderizer is, but I think it's contradicted. I need to ask them about calamine; it certainly seemed to help.

I am looking forward to responses from the medical professionals here, of course.

Can you provide specifics and whys?

 

[DandyDon]

Can you provide specifics and whys?

Got a copy of the magazine? Page 21: says that info came from Dan's dive and travel medical guide and First aid for hazardous marine life injuries course.

Is there one there that you like...??

 

[DocVikingo]

Routine hot tubs would be next to useless as their temps tend to run in the 100 to 102ºF range. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends never allowing the temperature of hot tub water to exceed 104ºF.

The water temps required to be effective in inactivating heat labile marine venoms are in the 113ºF/45ºC range.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Hank49]

I was stung by something twice in the last week. The first time I was on scuba scraping a pipe covered with all kinds of marine life and got some itchy stings inside my shirt and under my arms. Two days ago I was walking into the beach in 2 feet of water with 1 foot of vis and felt what seemed like a Portuguese Man of War, which I'd been stung by many times in Hawaii, brush across the top of my foot, quickly followed by a burning sting. Both times I got home within 10 minutes and slapped a handful of vinegar on the affected areas and the burning went away...almost. My buddy also who was cleaning the pipe. I guess I was lucky?