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There are plenty of ways surfers can run into trouble when they wade out into the water to catch some waves. That includes more than a few animals you don’t want to encounter, and one man from Australia is lucky to be alive after being stung by a jellyfish packing venom that can kill a human in a matter of minutes.
The internet has helped position Australia as a place where potentially deadly animals lurk around seemingly every corner both on land and in the waters off its coast. That reputation is somewhat overblown, although it does boast plenty of spiders, snakes, crocodiles, and other creatures you normally want to avoid crossing paths with.
It also trails only the United States when it comes to the countries responsible for the most shark attacks on an annual basis, and a sizeable chunk of those incidents involve surfers who managed to attract the attention of one of them.
Its waters are also home to some aquatic threats that pack a punch due to their toxic nature, including the stonefish (the most venomous fish in the world), the blue-ringed octopus (the most venomous octopus in the world), and the box jellyfish (the most venomous jellyfish in the world).
One man from Australia recently traded its waters for the ones that surround Fiji. Unfortunately, there’s a fair amount of crossover when it comes to the animals that lurk in them, including the last member of the trio in the previous paragraph.
An Australian who headed to Fiji to surf managed to survive a sting from a box jellyfish without any antivenom
There are at least 50 unique species of box jellyfish, and the potency of their venom can vary.
However, they are frequently referred to as one of the most venomous animals on the planet thanks to the ones that fall on the deadlier end of the spectrum; the Chironex fleckeri administers a sting that can induce a heart attack within two minutes, and the tiny Irukandji variety can be responsible for a potentially fatal neurological syndrome that can last for weeks on end.
It’s unclear what species Guy Rowles encountered off the coast of the Fijian island of Tavarua, but according to News.com.au, the 30-year-old was surfing at a hotspot three miles off its coast on the first day of a vacation that was derailed when he found his “entire body suddenly jolting in pain” after the tentacles of a box jellyfish ended up wrapped around his arm.
The guide who’d transported him to the place where he was catching waves immediately identified the source of the sting, and he yanked him onto the boat to kick off the nearly one-hour journey to the nearest hospital, which was located in the city of Nadi.
Rowles recounted how he felt on the ride, saying:
“It felt like I was breathing through a straw. I was convulsing, couldn’t stop sweating, I was shaking and my heart was beating out of my chest. My fingers and toes were tingling. The burning pain on my arm wouldn’t stop, it was horrible.”
He was informed it was too late to administer antivenom when he arrived, and he was forced to ride things out while vinegar was poured on the wound and morphine was administered to help him deal with the pain.
Doctors determined he was out of the woods around four hours later, and while some people would think twice about returning to the water following that kind of ordeal, Rowles was back on his board the following afternoon.