The stings of paradise

April 1st, 2008

Filed Under FYI |

If you live in or visit the islands, this sign is a pretty familiar one. These lil buggers are not the friendliest inhabitant of the sea and a sting by one can ruin your day at the beach. I should know, the hubby was a victim of one a few years back. We’re standing on the sand in east Kauai and he decides to let the water hit his ankles. For some reason I didn’t. The next thing I know he says “the sand is stinging me.” As he reaches down to swipe at his ankles, all of the years of research and guidebook reading kicked in and I screamed “don’t touch it!! It’s a man o war!! Knock it off with your rubber slippah!” He did and sure enough there was what looked like a little blue ball of yarn. We went back to the house and did everything wrong. Used cold water to wash any uncharged quills off of his now red, swollen lashes around his ankles. (The only thing we did right) Then he complained about the burn and I knew I wasn’t up for peeing on it (don’t do that! Doesn’t work for man o wars!) so I called Wilcox Memorial and asked if they knew what we should do. They gave me the now debunked wives tale of mixing meat tenderizer and vinegar into a paste and slathering it on the lashes. (Vinegar actually makes the sting worse!) We also dumped some rubbing alcohol on it which we found out months later that, along with urine, can actually trigger any remaining tentacles to eject their venom! Nice. He kept some cool washcloths on it and said it felt like someone was “holding a lighter to his ankles without pulling it away” for 5 hours.

So what do these lil buggers look like? Here’s one we saw on Waianapanapa Beach on Maui. If it looks like blue bubbles or yarn, do NOT go in the water! There will usually be a sign on the beach if they frequent there.

What do you do if you’re stung?

1) Get your shoe, a credit or gift card that might be in your wallet, a stick, whatever is readily available to knock off any visible tentacles. Take care to NOT touch them with your hands or the venom could release. 2) Rinse the sting with water to remove any tentacles that may still be stuck. 3) Use ice packs or water as hot as you can stand it for pain control. (Its up to the person as to what is more soothing to them.) 4) If you have itching or a rash, use hydrocortisone and Benadryl. If you go hours without relief of any kind after using the above tips or if you have any signs of breathing difficulties or cardiac arrest, call a doctor immediately.

Awareness is the key and we always have a first aid kit with us in the car. As long as you know what truly works and what is myth, you should be prepared in case you have an unfortunate encounter with a man o’ war.

Comments

3 Comments so far

skeet on April 2, 2008 12:41 pm
We get mostly box jellies on the Waianae side. I won’t go in the water seven and eight days after the full moon!
Pele on April 2, 2008 2:02 pm
We don’t either! The treatment for box jellies is different from those of a man o’ war. To see more, go here: http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/alsting1.html#boxjellyfish
Carnival Takes Closer Look at Hawaiian Life on June 2, 2008 10:20 am
[...] reminds us to be careful — The stings of paradise, posted at True Aloha, are definitely a snap back into reality. The Man-O-War are almost as bad and [...]