W
hen my better half, Colleen, and I planned
our cruise to the Caribbean, writing an
article for DAN’s Alert Diver was the
furthest thing from my mind. Our only
intentions were to enjoy some much-needed R&R and to
leave the world behind.
But as is often the case in life, I was reminded that you
never know what a day will hold or what will be required of
you to make it through. When I boarded the cruise ship, I
never thought I’d need my DAN
®
training, but need it I did.
This trip was a little different for me from the start.
An injury prevented me from diving, so you can imagine
how DAN might not have been at the forefront of my
thoughts. I was reminded of the role DAN plays in divers’
lives as I watched my fellow travelers plan dives around age
considerations and the altitudes of hike-and-bike excursions,
but as I didn’t plan to dive, it was interesting only from
an observational perspective. I had no intention of doing
anything more strenuous than simple snorkeling, yet two
separate events reminded me how quickly “simple” turns to
“complex” where the water is concerned.
Pool Party Poopers
Picture this: You’re on a cruise ship and in a commercial-
perfect, heated pool near the spa area. Cascading water
massages your shoulders. Bathtub-like conditions create the
perfect atmosphere to relax and escape life’s worries. It’s
pretty much the last place you’d expect to have a hazardous
marine life encounter, but we did.
The ship’s pool was filled with seawater. Although the
ship had a complex filtration system, it remained (remotely)
possible for the intake system to suck in and break apart
jellyfish when filling the pool. The majority of the fish would
be caught in the filters, but minute particles could pass
through the filtration system. Unfired stinging cells can
retain their toxicity and still trigger upon contact, unleashing
harpoonlike barbs into unsuspecting bathers.
This scenario seemed plausible when several individuals
on our ship had what looked to me like tiny jellyfish stings.
At first, a variety of possibilities ranging from seabather’s
eruption to bedbugs were considered. The ship’s crew
thoroughly examined every cabin and ruled out bedbugs.
The cause was finally pinpointed after other cruisers were
observed exiting the pool with similar symptoms. Some of
the islands are known to experience seasonal increases in
the numbers of area jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war
(Physalia physalis
)
, and we were there “in season.”
Happily, the situation was resolved in a day or two,
though the dining areas experienced an unusually high
number of requests for vinegar. As for me, it provided a
good mental review on what to do when stung by a jellyfish.
I didn’t expect it to be anything more.
Plan B Backfire
It was during our last port excursion that my own skills
would be needed. Colleen and I planned to visit the local
rainforest and spend some time in a waterfall. We grabbed
our snorkel gear and began the trek, but the path to the
waterfalls was treacherous from rain the previous day, the
rocks slippery and unsafe, and the freshwater pool muddy
and far from inviting.
So we went with Plan B. We hired a local driver and
explored the island. He took us to an area known only to the
locals, and as the road spiraled down it revealed a secluded
You Never Know
Jellyfish in unexpected places
T E X T B y B i l l H i l l e r m e i e r
P H O T O S B Y S T E P H E N F R I N K
52
|
FALL 2011
RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
//
S K I L L S I N A C T I O N
Have you put your skills into
action? Tell us about it! Email
your story to letters@dan.org.
STORY
52-53_Skills_in_Action_Fall2011.indd 52
9/30/11