Stingrays

[inhlanzi]

Have you ever been stung by one and do you know what to do?

In the light of the tragic death of Steve Erwin do you raiders know how to deal with a stingray puncture / spike / attack.

I was unlucky enough to stand on one at Fishermans bay in the Hawkesbury.

We were all sitting on the beach family and friends and having a great time and the boats were moored about 10 m out. My boat was starting to get a bit too close to one of the others so I thought I might just wade out and pick up the anchor and move it a few meters away. The water was murky and I could not see the bottom. I was about chest deep and as I was lifting the anchor rope and I felt a huge jolt to my left leg. I thought oh ^%$# a shark has got my leg. I leapt up onto the boat and saw my leg was still there - what the hell was that???!!.

I looked down at my foot ( I had my fishing sandals on ) and saw a spurt of blood coming out the side. In a few seconds there was a second huge jolt of pain through my body. I pulled my sandal off and saw the puncture mark. I was telling my self to stay calm and I called one of my mates over and said to him I think I have been bitten by something. The pain got worse and I said "Mate I don't know what this is but we need to get to a Hospital quick!" We decided head for Appletree as fast as we could and the plan was to head to the Emergency at the San in Fox Valley in one of the cars.

The pain was radical and I was starting to shudder and my mind was all over the place. The wound would not stop bleeding and I even tried to tie a rope around my leg to try and slow the blood flow.

On the way in the car I called 123 on my mobile and I talked to the operator and he talked to me on the way to the hospital and we figured it must have beeen a stingray that got me. The wound started to go blue and purple around the edges and the blood just kept coming. The pain was getting worse and I reckon my body was in shock.

Got to the Hospital and got to see the Doctor really quickly and lucky for me he was a venom specialist. He took one look and said "Ah yea stingray, nurse get him a bowl of hot water." Hot water! I thought I had totally lost it but thats what the treatment is. The nurse bought in a bowl of really hot water and she says put your other foot in the water. "What?" So I put my good foot in the water - Yea - its hot really hot!! Then she says put your bad foot in now. Pian gone instantly!!!! GONE GONE GONE Could not believe it. Just gone. Then off to X rays to see if there was any of the barb left inside the foot. Thankfully there was none.

So if you get done by a stingray head for a hospital or a place where you can get really hot water. After this the wound has to be treated with lots of antiseptic and you have to have a tetanus injection as well. If you been stung by a stingray you will never complian about an injection needle again. My wound took about three weeks to heal.

Be carefull in the Hawkesbury as there are lots of stingrays and big buggers too. At certain times of the year they can be found in quite large numbers at the entrance to bays usually on one side or the other. If you get them on your line treat them with respet and care. Usually I just cut the line and let them go.

In my case my sandal saved me a hell of a lot of damage as the barb could not rip through the thick rubber sole so it just speared me. The wound was away from the heart and the brain and thus less shock to the system. I was also very lucky in that the barb did not break off and or stick in the bone. When this happens it has to be cut out asap and the wound takes even longer to heal.

Poor Steve must have copped a hell of a shock to his system by being stung in the heart. We sure lost a great bloke yesterday and I hope that his legacy will be with us for a long time.

Anyway I hope this story may be of some help to you all and a bit of a warning to be carefull out there.

cheers

inhlanzi

Edited September 7, 2006 by inhlanzi

[Flattieman]

a great read inhlanzi

thanks for that mate

CFD

thanks mate. I'll definitely keep that in mind. I have heard that it's always best to shuffle your feet when wading - really reduces the chance of stepping on a ray.

Flattieman.

[James]

mate thanks for that.

i think that was quite informative and may help us out one day.

bloody hell all this info coming out of the dreadful dramas that have occured over the last couple of days has definately enlightened me and maybe useful in the future.

[dflanno]

Ive had the misfortune to have been stung twice!....both times at Salamander Bay at Port Stephens.

The first time was in the side of the heel, my ankle swelled so much it split the skin!

The second time was in the end of the big toe & the barb hit the bone.i had to have three shots of local anaesthetic & shot of morphine to make the pain bearable, then i slept fo 18 hours

These were only by fairly small sand rays & the pain was excruciating...........imagine the pain poor Steve went through with the size of those bull rays?

Its not a nice experience, i wouldn't wish it on anyone.

thats was some good info too Inhlanzi

Cheers

Dave

[OWZAT]

G`day Fellas

Makes you woder how lucky you can be doesn`t it !.

I have beeb flipping those buggers over onto their backs for yonks , ( some were 5 feet accross the flaps ) and after dehooking them , dragging them back to the wash by the tail to release them , all the while being well aware of the spike in their tail, and avoiding it .

I will never take that chance ever again after reading Inhlanzi`s post , I`ll cut the line and let them spit the hooks by themselves .

Mick

[Guest rzep]

inhlanzi,

That is an informative post.

I myself would not of had any idea what to do if stung by one.

I am forever in the water in the hawksbury and am normally bare foot also.

I will now buy myself a pair of sandles and take alot more care.

Regards

Paul.

[KingsRule]

inhlanzi thats crazy! , must have hurt like hell!.

I have stepped on a electric ray (i think there called?) , while walking around in kneedeep water at balmoral beach...only made me jump 2 foot in the air

[robthefisherman]

Geez I see them on the flats in Hacking all the time sometimes only a couple of feet away, I generally dehook the buggers being careful to saty away from the tail,not any more I'll be cutting the line in future.

I had no idea their sting was so bad

[TunOFun]

Very good info, i also wouldnt have known what to do if stung by a stingray.

Will make sure that one stays in the memory bank

[njsconst]

Thanks for the tip!

Who would have thought hot water was the answer.

Cheers.

[kikila]

That hot water trick also works if you get stung by a bullroaut "spelling"??? or also known as happpy moments. I was stung down at wingdang while prawning years ago & the hot water worked a treat

[netic]

Great info inhlanzi,

Now i know what to do if it ever happens

But from now on i will defiantely look before i leap

Thanks for the Story and hopefully no raider will ever have to test the hot water theory

[Flattieman]

If anyone wants to know, the hot water works because it denatures (cooks) the protein in the venom - works for some other stings aswell.

Flattieman.

[harold]

thanks for the advice. I hope we never need it but if we do, i have learnt something today that is of value.

[kingpig]

I have never been hit by a stingray but I have had the misfortune to stand on a bullrout. This happened in the Hunter River near Morpeth.

The pain was extreme and felt like I had stood in a fire.

After this I did some study on this creature and discovered it was a member of the stone fish famliy.

Cheers

Kingpig

[arpie]

i was stung whislt removing a hook - it managed to flip over & sting me thru my 'rock hoppers'. Instant aagony. I drove to the nearest chemist & he offered me an antihistamine tablet (for allergies!) I went home & checked out a Steve Starling book, which said to put it in as hot water as you can stand. Seems cold water stings are unstable in hot water, thus de-activating them. It worked. It should even work with blue bottle stings. the actual wound took up to 6 months to clear up - I think it took that long for all the barb to work its way out!

Next time I hook a sting ray, I reckon I'll break the barb off with pliers first, then retrieve the hook.

[Guest]

i was stung whislt removing a hook - it managed to flip over & sting me thru my 'rock hoppers'. Instant aagony. I drove to the nearest chemist & he offered me an antihistamine tablet (for allergies!) I went home & checked out a Steve Starling book, which said to put it in as hot water as you can stand. Seems cold water stings are unstable in hot water, thus de-activating them. It worked. It should even work with blue bottle stings. the actual wound took up to 6 months to clear up - I think it took that long for all the barb to work its way out!

Next time I hook a sting ray, I reckon I'll break the barb off with pliers first, then retrieve the hook.

Best bet Roberta is to cut the line as close as possible whilst being at a safe distance and release it that way as to avoid any contact at all with those nasty barbs .

It would be a lot safer for you and the Stingray

Cheers Stewy

[noah]

Ive really haven,t given the barb the respect I should .often mucking around with these bullrays down at Bendalong. One night at Cunjy point on Lake Conjola we caught between 15-20 smaller rays and being fairly carefree with their tails maybe not next time

[coollagirl]

my god you were lucky I didn't know they were in the hawkesbury just goes to show you can't be to careful. but I suppose they are only trying to protect themselves to bad you had to have that happen to you though. loved the read though great helpful hinks thanks.

cheers coollagirl

[gafmo]

After being stung by a red rock cod I always have a thermos of hot water onboard. Even that I have been very carefull not to get stung since that hot water is always in the boat.

Try and be sting free

Gafmo

[Guest DV8]

I haven't been stung by one thoughI know that the poison fom stingrays is protein based. The hot water denatures the protein. it is the only known effective treatment. Morphine does not touch a stingray sting. Its amazing that the medical experts have not long worked this out. Most modern first aid manuals will give you the same information.

Incidently if you get spiked by a flattie, the best way to ease the pain is to rub the slime off the falttie on the wound. works well, if you are silly enoughto get spiked.

davo

[CR@ZY OS@M@]

im glad i have never been stung by a stingray and hope that i never do.

good info to know

[johnno]

Another person stabbed by sting ray

SA fisherman stabbed by stingray

November 29, 2006 - 7:14PM

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A fisherman in a trawler off South Australia has been stabbed in the chest by a stingray barb, police say.

The man was on a prawn trawler about seven nautical miles north-west of Wallaroo when he was stabbed by the ray about 10pm (CDT) on Tuesday.

Police said the barb did not lodge in the chest or cause any respiratory problems and he was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.

Television personality and environmentalist Steve Irwin died in September after a stingray barb pierced his chest.

[Laredo]

a girl got stung at my 21st this weekend...she got picked up by a tinnie, taken to a water taxi and then to palm beach wharf where the ambulance was...I wasn't there but apparently she was completely out of it right and just totally screaming up until she got a big dose or morphine...she didn't even know how she'd got to the ambulance afterwards

[xceler8or]

Cheese and Rice, Thats the stuff nightmares are made of!!

Good on you for keeping your cool, may save your life in a situation like that

I think i would have lost the plot for sure! (sight of my own blood? )

Will definately remember that one!