beach you would expect to see on a calendar cover. It was
paradise, and we were staying. Our driver agreed to return
for us at a designated time.
We donned our snorkel gear and did an easy entry into
the glasslike surf. There were no waves, no undertow, and
the sandy bottom quickly dropped off to about 12 feet.
In search of marine life, Colleen swam perpendicular to
shore for about 20 yards while I swam parallel to shore toward
a rock formation. Finding nothing, she turned and swam in my
direction, hoping to find some residents among the rocks.
She looked up to get her bearings, and in that split second
our skills were called into action. She didn’t see anything,
but she yelled over to me that she had a tingling in her left
arm from the elbow to her fingertips. She’d made contact
with a Portuguese man-of-war.
Immediately our training kicked in. Neither of us panicked,
and we made our way to shore. Before we exited the water, we
rinsed the affected area with salt water and used a fin tip to
scrape the area in an attempt to remove any unseen tentacles.
In my dive first aid kit I carry several containers of vinegar,
which we applied liberally to the wound to neutralize any
unfired nematocysts. The area was then scraped again and
more vinegar applied. We rinsed off, packed our stuff, met the
driver a few minutes later and started to make our way back
to the cruise ship, where there was access to trained medical
staff and resources if we needed them. Colleen suffered a
very visible and severe line of blisters for the next 24 hours,
as well as swelling, redness, pain and uncontrollable itching
around the sting area. We kept the area clean and well coated
in hydrocortisone cream; no further care was needed beyond
our own actions, and the symptoms eventually subsided.
Planning Ahead
Both Colleen and I are DAN Instructors and take care to
avoid hazardous marine life encounters. But sometimes you’re
just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Being prepared
makes a difference. We had our first aid kit and an emergency
action plan. We were trained in hazardous marine life injuries
and confident in our ability to handle such emergencies.
I have 28 years of emergency medical services (EMS)
experience. I have seen my share of calls and have a binder
full of certificates. But when it came to this incident, it was
my DAN training I used. It’s why I keep DAN on speed dial,
why I follow their safety protocol recommendations and
keep my training current. I know firsthand what a difference
it can make.
AD
www.alertdiver.com
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Skills can be called into action in unique and unexpected places,
so keep your skills current and avoid complacency.
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