Linda Lushardi

Ok, maybe not so deep, but i have found a new hobby today. Went snorkelling and loved it.
My main concern is that i have no idea what creatures ar ound the shores of Sydney i should steer clear of and not touch!! Is there a website or guide to for this anywhere?

I saw a sign today saying blue ringed octopus had been found where i was swimming. Although i have heard of them i have no idea what they look like.

Vash the Stampede

It's a small octopus with - and this may surprise you - blue rings.

Linda Lushardi

OK smartarse i had gathered that!

wargod

Check this out !!

Linda Lushardi

Ahhh thankyou for that. And judging by those pics they can look remarkably different. Seem to be varying different colours too!!

wanderingwombat

The blue ringed octopus is a known killer. Most people die when they pick them and place them in the hand to admire. They have a beak which injects the poison.

http://www.earlham.edu/~sheedjo/blue-ringedoctopus.htm

From this (US) website:
"What to do if you get bit!

The bite of the blue-ringed octopus may be painless but it is definetly deadly. Its venom contains some maculotoxin which is more violent than any animals found on land. This poisen is 10,000 times more potent that cyanide. Upon being bitten, the victom's nerve conduction is stopped and paralysis sets in after a few minutes. Paralysis is then followed by death. Some symtoms are as follows:

*Nausea

*Blindness

*Loss of all other senses

If you do see someone get bit you should immediatly call 911, and then apply compresion to the wound as if it was a snake bite. Artificial respiration should also be started as soon as possible. The only way to survive is hours of heart massage and artificial respiration until the poisin has worked its way out of the system. There is no anit-venom to date.

Quick Facts

The blue rings are only visible when the Blue-ringed octopus is about to atack
It has a tiny, parrot like, beak that can bite through your wetsuit
The Blue-ringed octopus is only the size of a golf ball but still carries enough poisin to kill 26 humans in minutes
The poisin is not injected but comes from it's saliva
They are found in shallow coral and rock pools in Australia"

A bit pointless calling 911, the yanks would think you were mad!

WW

Linda Lushardi

I'm slowly being put off my new hobby :scared:

Thats why i need some sort of guide to local sealife. Otherwise i'll be too frightened to touch anything

wanderingwombat

The wobbegong shark is considered safe to touch but they do have other relatives who arent so playful. :scared:

WW

Larissa

"The only way to survive is hours of heart massage and artificial respiration until the poison has worked its way out of the system"

Hubby recently did a 1st aid course and the problem is that people give up on the respiration too soon, basically the person is unable to breathe etc, and people stand around saying they're a gonner, but they are fully aware of what is going on and are unable to communicate.
So in theory you should do cpr for 4 to 8 hours, hopefully the ambos will turn up sometime

wanderingwombat

The spines on a stone fish found in northern waters have been known to penetrate the soles of steel capped boots :scared:

Those who die from the sting, do so by drowning due to the excruciating pain, as they become so focused on the pain. Warm water (eg outboard motor telltale) across the wound is the immediate first aid before seeking medical treatment.

WW

Larissa

So I really shouldn't bother with my steel capped boots on the beach then

Bella Donna

Try telling this to my dh. He and a friend were on a diving holiday in the Scillies and came across a guy who'd had a heart attack. They both went to work with CPR immediately and kept it up for over two hours while the ambulance was called from the mainland. Then the local doctor arrives and tells them to stop because they'd been at it far too long and the guy was a gonner....told them they'd been wasting their time.

annqldau

Snorkel and don't touch is the best advice... but go to your local dive shop there will be one around somewhere and they will have books in probably about fish identification ... all sorts found diving or snorkelling and also will have identification of nasty types like blue ring etc.

There is a shell you shouldn't touch as well but not sure what it looks like as I stick to not touching...LOL... .

Dive shop your best bet for good book as do lots of easy spot books and quick ref boards as well.

Buzzy--Bee

It's quite simple - don't touch any sea life. Ever. Not for your protection - for theirs.

Cheers

Buzzy

PADI DM #453248

wanderingwombat

Definitely not a good look on a Sydney beach at the moment

A lot of boaties in Brisbane used to wear the steel capped boots for protection when landing/launching.

WW