There are not many animal stings that put the fear of God into you quite the way that getting stung by water creatures can. For one thing, the very appearance of many sea creatures give them an otherworldly aspect that can only make you feel as though you were attacked by something not of this planet. There is also bad medicine in the world of being attacked by beings from the sea in the form of that paralysis that is afforded by fact that the water is, well, the most frightening place to think you are dying, whether you actually are anywhere near to expiration or not. So how does one react upon finding they have been stung by one of these creepy denizens of the deep?
Jellyfish.
When I was a little kid sitting on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, a current took a jellyfish right up my swimsuit where it did its nasty business in perhaps the single worst place you can imagine. (I’m tempted to make a joke revolving around the word “swollen” but I’ll refrain.) Jellyfish that actually do sting human beings are actually quite rare. Only about 10% of jellyfish species sting, and the degree of damage can range from merely being unpleasant to being fatal. Once you’ve been stung, the best thing to do immediately is to wash the affected area off with that salt water in which you were attacked. If you have any kind of alcohol, from the rubbing variety to beer, apply that next. This should serve to alleviate your pain. If you were attacked on a public beach at which there is a convenience or grocery store in close proximity, get there if you can and buy some baking soda or flour and mix yourself a paste using the salt water. Apply this paste to the area of skin that is inflamed and let it harden a bit. Peeling back this paste will tear off not only some of your hair, but also the skin cells that were damaged. The one thing you don’t want to do is wash with fresh water. Doing so can jumpstart the infected cells and make things even worse.
Sea anemones.
That little creature that Nemo has such trouble pronouncing correctly looks like a flower buried on the bottom of the ocean floor. They can be beautiful to look at; less beautiful to come into contact with. Those mesmerizing tentacles that wave back and forth are actually adorned with very unpleasant stinging cells that when you step on them with your foot or brush against them with a bare arm while diving can be just as painful as having a jellyfish slip up your swimsuit and sting your frank and beans. The treatment for a sting provided by a sea anemone is the same as a jellyfish. Avoiding the temptation to rub the affected area, stay away from fresh water, and make that paste or use alcohol.
Coral.
There may be nothing more beautiful in the ocean than coral, but it can cause damage that will make you wish you’d been stung by one of the less dangerous types of jellyfish. When you make contact with coral, and certainly you would do such a thing only by accident, tiny fragments can break off and get lodged in your skin. These fragments of coral can contain toxic material you will be hard pressed to avoid rubbing or scratching. Imagine if you stuck your arm into an aquarium filled with fleas and then you were told not to scratch. Well, as hard as it may be, try to avoid scratching at a coral wound. Calmly as you can, exit the water. The best thing is to apply some calamine lotion. If you don’t have calamine lotion, then hit the alcohol. As an application to the area, not into your mouth. Next get some tweezers, or a pliers, or wire cutters or just your fingers and try your best to remove the fragments embedded in your skin. Once you’ve removed the fragments, wash the area with old-fashioned soap and water.
