SPECIALTY DIVER SERIES

First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries

A diver surfaces from a dive in an area abundant with coral, removes his fins and finds redness, swelling and blisters just beginning to show on his left ankle. He also experiences a stinging sensation on the same ankle.

A diver, following a dive to an area filled with marine life, notices a small bite pattern on his lower right leg and some stiffness; he also experiences difficulty swallowing, has a generalized weakness and a slight numbness in the area of the bite.

A diver experiences pain, nausea and some swelling associated with a purple-and-black puncture wound in his left knee.

The common thread from each of the three injuries is that they likely came from contact with some form of hazardous marine life. Given similar circumstances with you, or a dive buddy, would you be able to appropriately treat each injury?
Although serious hazardous marine life injuries are rare, most divers experience minor discomfort from unintentional encounters with fire coral, jellyfish and other marine creatures at some point in their dive careers. Knowing how to minimize these injuries helps you reduce diver discomfort and pain.
The First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries program is designed to provide knowledge regarding specific types of marine creature injuries and the general first aid treatment for those injuries.





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Midwest Scuba Center, Inc.