Stings – It hurts a lot to step on urchins, and it will hurt for a while. It doesn’t take long to learn not to put your foot on the coral in any circumstances. It happened to me only a couple of times, and I never suffered with them broken off in my foot like a lot of people do. Probability of Encountering Wana in Hawaii – Unfortunately, if you spend a lot of time in the water, you are likely to put your foot down on a piece of coral or rock and step right onto a long-spined venomous sea urchin. There are even substances that can be applied that help soften the barbs so they are absorbed into the skin faster than through the normal process. Hospital or clinic treatment is well-advised because all medical personnel that deal with this problem have been well trained on how best to treat the site. The area around the punctured skin will be stained purple or black, the same color as the offending organism. The spines can break off and lodge in your body, and need to be removed as much as possible. It is nothing like a coral cut – which often isn’t even felt. Though you may have trouble seeing them if you are snorkeling or diving because they collect organic debris, and sometimes small pebbles, you know immediately if you’ve stepped on one. The venom is released through the shorter hollow spines as something contacts the sharp tip. I’ll talk more about possible infection in Hawaii’s waters later. The problem is, before they dissolve, you are going to go through tremendous pain from the pointy spines, the venom they carry, and possibly infection as a result of punctured skin. If you have lived in Hawaii for any amount of time, you already know someone that is living with wana barbs inside their foot, which, with time, dissolve. This long spiny urchin is the scourge of surfers all over Hawaii. These are wicked circular or oval spined beasts up to 10 inches, that attach to coral, rocks, and other submerged structures directly under some of the prime surfing spots in Hawaii. Three species are dangerous in Hawaii, those named above in the subheading. Though eaten by locals and considered a delicacy (tastes like opihi), to step on an urchin is a bad experience. Image may have been resized or cropped from original Slate-pencil Sea Urchin by Ryan Oelke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. There’s a reason why this is a bright, contrasting color – don’t step on me!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |