Garie Beach

How big of a dilemma are jellyfish in the Great Barrier Reef?

Hi, I planning on getting my Sea-Card soon or train to become a diver, and I was thinking about diving in the Great Barrier not for the first dive though. If I recall call jellyfish can be deadly? Is that the largest threat?

Public Comments

1. according to a national geographic special about the jelly fish, and other poison species from Australia, the jelly fish are very poisonous, they can cause swelling unconsciousness and even death.
2. DANGERS ON THE REEF.....Don't let the beauty fool you. The reef has many species of marine life that can be potentially fatal to humans. Hazards abound that you should know about before venturing out. We have listed some here. As with most dangers, if you take the right precautions and are aware of them, you can take steps to minimize the impact of the danger and still enjoy all the wonderful beauty of the reef. The specialised dive operators will take all precautions necessary to ensure you have a safe and rewarding day out on the reef. Irukandji Jellyfish Unlike Chironex fleckeri (Box Jelly Fish), Irukandji are found mostly in the deeper waters of the reef, although they may be swept inshore by prevailing currents. Divers and snorkellers are particularly at risk. Box Jelly Fish Possibly one of the most dangerous creatures on the reef. The box jelly fish gets its name from the shape of its body. A box-shaped bell with clusters of tentacles extending from each corner. It has the potential to inflict fatal stings to humans. Found mainly around river mouths and muddy shadow water, they rarely inhabit the reef islands. "Stinger Season" is from November through to March. All swimmers on the beaches are encouraged to swim within specially provided "Stinger Enclosures" Blue Ringed Octopus With a beak that can penetrate a wet-suit, they are one little cute creature to definitely look at BUT Don't touch. The blue-ringed octopus is the size of a golf ball but its poison is powerful enough to kill an adult human in minutes. There's no known antidote. Residing in rock pools and coral, the blue ring octopus' rings will "glow" an electric blue when provoked or is on the defense. This is when it is most dangerous, especially to children, as it looks very pretty and harmless. Cone Shells Cone shells look very pretty, but several types are known to be very dangerous to humans. The venom of some contains the most potent neurotoxins known to man. Lion Fish Lion-fish have venomous fin spines that can produce painful puncture wounds. Fatalities, however, are rare. The fish have elongated dorsal fin spines and enlarged pectoral fins, and each species has a pattern of zebra like stripes. Stone Fish With 13 dorsal spines that release a poisonous toxin when pressed, the Stone fish can inflict excruciating pain and possible death to the unwary. They dwell on stony, muddy bottom areas. Visitors walking on the beaches (especially at low tide) should always wear covered shoes with a sturdy sole. Sea Snakes Approx 15 species of sea snakes can be found on the reef. ALL OF THEM PRODUCE LETHAL VENOM. Having small fangs, they are not normally aggressive. There have been no reported deaths from sea snakes, however they should still be treated with respect. StingraysFatalities reported from stingray deaths are few and far between. Barbs on the stingrays' tail whip up when trodden on and can inflict serious lacerations and deep wounds. Tetanus is also a possibility if the wound becomes infected. (steve irwin tradegy) Supplemental Reading Things that Hurt on the Reef. By Walt Deas This article by Walt Deas is published across 4 pages. Just follow the link at the bottom of each page to read the article in order. "Now don’t go out too far and watch out for..." Many a diver can recall as a child, their first skirmish with the sea and a cautious parent forever watchful. These fears are unfortunately strengthened and backed throughout life by television, newspapers and the cinema. For divers and especially new divers, entering the sea loaded by pounds of equipment and a ton of anxiety, many have a fear of being injured by marine life especially in tropical waters. Much of this is misdirected as most of the creatures we fear are in our imagination. It is usually the smaller beasties of our underwater world who are most likely to cause a diver temporary suffering. Worry less about the creatures of leviathan dimensions and apply more canniness and regard for some of the smaller inhabitants of the sea. I have no intention of alarming divers or to discourage them from diving, quite the opposite. Knowing what not to touch or brush against accidentally is often learned the hard way. An elementary understanding of reef animals and their specialized protection mechanisms can help a diver evade hurtful bites and stings. Reefs all over the planet are habitat to poisonous and toxic marine animals depicting every biological phylum known. Some seem to be innocent, but even the most unassuming creature can administer a powerful sting or bite. The perils range in a great diversity. Casual encounters can end in anything from a trivial irritant to a significant incapacitating injury. I have attempted to organize the following in a configuration that is simple to comprehend and remember. DANGEROUS DENIZENS SPONGES Sponges have long been known to have hazards associated with their collecting for commercial use. In the Mediterranean, the divers experience sponge-fisheries, dermatoses and ulcers, but these injuries are usually due to a symbiotic anemones growing on the sponges. Some other sponges are themselves harmful. The injury can be partly due to silica or glass crystals of the sponge or to a severe local and systemic toxin. Initially there may be no reaction to contact with the sponge. After some time a stinging, prickly or itchy sensation is felt. The resulting lesions may remain visible for months depending upon the degree of severity. Local application of cooling lotions, such as calamine lotion, methylated spirits and iced water are of value. Lignocaine could be indicated for severe pain. Seek medical attention. CORALS - That cut or sting Divers who are lucky enough to dive the clear and warm tropical waters of our planet know the indescribable beauty of coral reefs. Many species have razor sharp edges, which can easily cut a diver. Now and again a diver does not realize the cut has taken place until surfacing after the dive and encountering a trickle of blood. Some who have been swept into a reef by a sweeping wave receive an encounter they will not soon forget. Another hazard of the coral reef is fire coral. It is aptly named and found worldwide. An encrusting brownish coral with the upper edges or tips a lighter colour. The tiny, hair-like polyps are armed with batteries of stinging cells. These can produce a moderate to severe stinging or burning sensation. Full contact can result in a painful ´burn´ for days. If coral cuts are left untended they can become ulcerous with a septic, sloughing base within a few days, diving is no longer possible until the wound heals. The best way to prevent coral cuts or stings is to ovoid contact with the reef. Proper buoyancy control is essential. Coral cuts must be thoroughly cleaned with fresh water, scrub it and make sure there are no embedded coral particles, then flush the wound with a half strength of hydrogen peroxide in water, clean again with water. Use a local antibiotic powder or ointment (e.g. neomycin, bacitracin) and the wound should be kept dry with a dressing. If the wound shows any sign of infection one should see a physician who may consider treating the wound with an antibiotic or a corticosterid medication. SEA ANEMONES These flower-like coelenterates have thousands of tiny stinging cells on their numerous tentacles that can be quite dangerous, causing pain and incapacity. Fortunately most of them have nematocysts that are too weak to penetrate human skin. The initial symptoms vary from a prickly sensation to severe pain. The area can become red and swollen and blisters can appear. The more dangerous anemones can cause shock and respiratory distress. Treatment is basically the same as for Jellyfish. If you can’t tell the dangerous ones - just don’t touch any of them. In Samoa, one species Rhodactis howesü is cooked and eaten as food, but if eaten in the uncooked state it causes a prolonged stupor, and occasionally has been used for suicidal purposes. It was said in the early days the Hawaiians smeared the blades of their spears with anemones to make the wounds fatal. HYDROIDS Fern like colonies occurring in clumps, two of the more common are the Cypress Sea Fern, Agtaophenia cupressina and the White-Stinging Sea Fern, Lytocarpus philippinus. They generally have delicate fronds with rows of tiny polyps along each ´limb´. The slightest brush against a hydroid causes instantaneous pain and quite often the diver is not aware what produced the painful stinging feeling. The sting starts out as a patchy area of red skin and can develop into weals within 30 minutes. The affected area may take up to a month to heal. All manner of treatment has been advised such as: Vinegar, Calamine Lotion, ice packs, alcohol (externally!), etc. Local anesthetic ointment is effective as a pain reliever. Best idea is not to touch. JELLY FISH Currents, winds or the tidal flow conveys these slow-moving coelenterates along. Some even have the capability to swim slowly in a rhythmic, pulsating movement. Sometimes they appear in great masses and are at times hard to avoid. One of the features of a jellyfish is the presence of tentacles, all of which are equipped with nematocysts, or stinging cells. Many of which can inflict painful stings and cause welts on the body. There are several species that are very dangerous. Contact with their tentacles can cause severe burning, scarring of the skin, shock and paralysis of the breathing system. I was once hit in the face when snorkeling off Sydney by a Bluebottle (Portuguese Man-of-war) and within minutes my face started to swell up and I eventually had difficulty seeing and the pain was intense. After a couple of hours the swelling subsided, but it was itchy and uncomfortable for a couple of days. The Box Jelly, Chironex fleckeri is the most dangerous, deaths have occurred within minutes. It can cause abnormal heart rhythms, breathing problems and low blood pressure. They are seldom seen by the victim who is hit with excruciating pain on initial contact. They become confused, and may lose consciousness and at times drown. Some have died despite prompt resuscitation techniques. The most effective treatment for general jellyfish stings is to douse the area with vinegar to stop further discharge of the nematocysts. Remove the tentacles as quickly as possible - do not spread the nematocysts by rubbing with hands, wet sand, seaweed, paper, etc. No water - fresh or salt should be allowed to touch the skin until the vinegar has been applied. The patient should not bathe for a few hours. Try to remove by easing them off in one direction only. If vinegar is not available try a local anesthetic ointment or spray. Do not use alcohol as it can cause some nematocyst to discharge. Meat tenderizer or papaya fruit may be helpful. Another alternative is a paste made of baking soda and water. If serious, resuscitation may be required. Seek medical advice. Various ointments are available for less serious cases. Box Jellyfish Antivenom has been developed by the Australian Commonwealth Serum Laboratories. Wherever Chironex is found some form of body protection should be used - wetsuits, Lycra suits, body stockings made from panty hose or overalls. STARFISH One very dangerous starfish is Acanathaster planci, the Crown of Thorns starfish. This creature is easily recognized by its large size, sometimes over 16" in diameter. Its colour is reddish or greenish, has more than a dozen arms, which are covered in short, shark spines which will penetrate gloves, boots and wetsuits. I can attest to this! The spines are covered with toxic slime. Injury by the spines causes severe pain and nausea. And the pain can persist for days. Immersing the spiked area in HOT water can reduce the pain. Having been spiked in the foot during a filming assignment I can state that the pain was excruciating, a local anaesthetic helped, but best of all keeping my foot in a bucket of constantly replenished HOT water worked wonders. Medical attention is usually required. The Mosaic Sea Star, Plectaster decanus is another to be wary of. It can cause a skin rash if handle by bare hands. Another species, the Chain-Link Brittle Star, Ophiomastix annufosa has been reported to have caused deaths in small animals so therefore it is suggested that one makes sure, if handled, that the mucus from this sea star does not come in contact with one’s mouth or eyes. SEA URCHINS These unaggressive individuals don’t move very fast. But if the current or surge takes you into one of them, you undoubtedly will! Sea urchins are pincushion like creatures (allied to the starfish) that populate reefs worldwide. Many species have short, blunt spines. Other sport long, sharp spines, with very sharp tips, which act as natural hypodermic needles. They are generally brittle and break off easily beneath the skin. Toxin injected by the urchin’s venom glands can cause intense pain. One species the Toxopneusidae have short thick spines pushing through a display of flower-like pedicellariae. These have hook-like jaws and can deliver venom, which can result in severe pain, respiratory distress and paralysis. Deaths have been reported. Immersion of the wounded area in hot water frequently provides pain relief. A local anaesthesia alleviates the pain rapidly. Complete removal of the spines usually means surgical exploration of the wounds. Local antibiotic therapy after spine removal reduces secondary infection. In the Seychelles their solution is to immerse the punctured area in as hot oil as you can stand, or drip hot candle wax on them! It is a rare diver who has never had a run in with a sea urchin, and quite often the offending creature is chopped up to feed the fishes. Don’t, as you are upsetting the delicate balance of the reef. They do have a role to play in the reef community. HOLOTHURIANS (Sea Cucumbers; Beche-de-Mer; Trepang or Sea Slug.) These sausage-shaped scavengers are quite common on most reefs. Some exude white sticky threads, these threads and a skin mucus can cause skin and eye irritation and reportedly blindness if contact is made between these materials and the victim Some also ingest other stinging animals and may excrete these later in their own defense. There is also the toxic material called holothurin in the excreta, which can cause localised swelling. Dermatitis can occur if the sea cumber is handled a great deal. The sea cumber also contains a toxin, which may act on the nervous and muscular systems. Still collected in quantities, mainly for the eastern markets, the toxins are removed by boiling the sea cumbers. THE MOLLUSCS The molluscs comprise of the seashells, octopus and squid. The edible molluscs (oysters and other shellfish) can cause allergies, and other possibilities such as the hepatitis virus. In some cases, injuries to humans may occur from toxins produced by the molluscs themselves. Notable among such shellfish are the prettily marked cone shells of the Indo-Pacific region. These often-beautiful creatures possess a well-developed venom apparatus, a minute harpoon, called a radula tooth, which can inject powerful venom. The fish eating cones are the most dangerous members of the group and have developed a toxin effective against vertebrates and which can be lethal to humans. Fatalities have been recorded in Australia and in the Indo-Pacific. Only a few species of cones are known to be certainly lethal. They inject their venom by firing a dart into the flesh. These species are Conus geographus, C. textile, C. striatus, C. tulipa, C. marmoreus and a few others. The initial puncture effects may vary from painless to an excruciating pain. The area becomes swollen and can be numb to touch. Respiratory paralysis can result and eventually death. One cone shell that is very dangerous to humans is the Geography Cone; Conus geographus it is recorded as having killed at least 12 people, there could be many unrecorded deaths. The radular dart can penetrate gloves and wetsuits. The puncture effects can vary from painless to excruciating agony. Numbness and tingling can affect the whole body and paralysis can spread from the area of the sting. If stung apply a pressure bandage, rest the patient and summon medical assistance. Artificial respiration is the major contributor in saving a patient’s life. The theory that picking these shells up by the blunt end doesn’t work - they can extend their proboscis around and fire or thrust the minute harpoon, called a radula tooth into the collector’s hand. Do not place live cone shells in your wetsuit or in a pocket as has been done, as the harpoon can pierce neoprene and clothing. Don’t touch! Shells to be treated with extreme respect: Conus catus (Cat Cone). Conus ermineus [Agate or Tortoise Cone). Conus gloria-maris (Glory of the Sea). Conus straitus (Straited Cone). Conus tulipa (Tulip Cone). Conus marmoreus (Marbled Cone). Conus geographus (Geographer Cone). Conus omaria (Pearled Cone). Conus parius (Parian Cone). Conus segravei (Segrave’s Cone). Conus textile (Textile Cone). The innocent looking cone shell has claimed the life of many incautious shell collectors by injecting a lethal cocktail of venoms. But the very qualities that kill may soon be used to cure. The reason is the fishy ancestry of humans. The cone has developed a highly specialised arsenal of potent neurotoxins to protect itself from being eaten by fish. As humans have inherited a similar nervous system to fish, this is why the cones venom works on humans. The combination of peptides that cones inject has indicated to scientists that they could have very useful effects in nerve responses, blood vessels or muscles. The scientists are studying the effects of the substances extracted from the cones and then attempt to devise drugs that mimic their action - but more slowly and with greater specificity, to create a useful drug. It is expected that new drugs can be found to treat cardiac conditions, to relax muscles, to treat nerve conditions such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and even Alzheimer’s disease. It would seem that tropical waters could be a gold mine for new biomedical drugs. Another shell to be careful of is the oyster, its jagged sharp edges can cause painful cuts, which often become infected.