What the heck "stung" me????

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scubajoh44

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I was in Mexico (Playa Del Carmen) about 3 weeks ago simply hovering watching a school of Barracuda swim by. There were several people in our group. We were all together just hanging out on a nice drift dive. All of the sudden something that felt like a million little needles burned into my left arm. I jumped and looked. I didn't see a thing. My buddy saw me jump and grab my arm. He didn't see anything either. It just looked like huge mosquito bites until I got out of the water. Then, it swelled my whole arm up. I'm back in Texas and it's 3 weeks later. My Dr. has had to cut it and let it drain twice. I'm on antibiotics and it hasn't gotten much better. No one seems to know what the heck happened. Anyone have any guesses? :confused: No one seems to believe that I really don't know what happened. Give me a good guess so at least I'll have a story to tell about the nice scar I'm gonna have. :yourkiddi
Jo
 
were you near any coral? like...maybe...firecoral? though it seems a bit drastic to have been that...

if I had to guess with only that info I'd say probably a jellyfish of some sort, since you didn't see anything and they tend to be near invisible...

Were you wearing an exposure suit that covered your arm?

--EDIT--
CALL DAN :)
 
Before someone puts in the standard issue "Call DAN", I want to put in my guess.

I'm guessing som sort of jellyfish, mainly because you didn't see anything. you should probably call DAN though.
 
you could hardly see the smallest ones of this and other string jellies that really gives a punch



f030804t.jpg
 
I was guessing a jelly too. That was my first guess. We looked hard but didn't see anything, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one there. I wasn't close to any corals. I was about 15 ft from the bottom.
Jo
 
you could hardly see them thin threadlike transluscent jellies...

they come i various shapes and sizes and even translucency.

but this is just coming from experience and not scientific proof. i still got some marks of their stings and it has been three weeks now since i got a hit.

.
 
Are they known for the Playacar/Mexico area? Anyone else have any guesses that's familiar with that area?
 
Yeah, probably a jellyfish. Quite possibly a dead one at that - they get all mushed up and invisible but still carrying the poison. You can't see them at all until you feel them.....

.... a lesson I learned the hardway when surfing at a deserted beach in Aus during stinger season. The heavy surf had smushed up hundreds of bluebottle jellyfish and I got a dose of dead stinger up my boardshorts and right smack on my testicles..... :xeye:

I feel your pain, Jo. I know just how much that must hurt...
 
i vote some form of jellyfish as well, perhaps larval

this is a great reason to wear some form of protection at all times, even if just a lycra skin

of course, then they nail you on the lips ... happened to me ... yow...

i was on the phone with my wife that night "id god bid by a deddy dish on dy dip"

"what?"

"i god bid by a DEDDY DISH on dy DIP, daddit!"
 
H2Andy:
i vote some form of jellyfish as well, perhaps larval

this is a great reason to wear some form of protection at all times, even if just a lycra skin

of course, then they nail you on the lips ... happened to me ... yow...

i was on the phone with my wife that night "id god bid by a deddy dish on dy dip"

"what?"

"i god bid by a DEDDY DISH on dy DIP, daddit!"

e035.gif



Sorry. I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but oh my!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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