Be Water Savvy 

Do not forget that you are a guest when venturing into the wild and you show your respect towards nature. It is important for you to be aware of what aquatic creatures you may encounter and educate yourself about what to do if some sort of accidental confrontation were to occur. Furthermore, some creatures may harm you without ever biting you.

Do not be too alarmed, it can be very safe to go into the water just be savvy about where you are going and what creatures are living in that body of water. All these creatures are living in their habitat and we are the threat, it is only natural for them to defend their territory. If you ever experience an alarming encounter in the water it is most likely an accident or you may have surprised the creature. Please do not take it personal and I hope it has not traumatized you from returning into the waters. Now if you intentionally teased or threatened the creature, well that is a whole different story, quick lesson learnt I hope!

Barracuda

Habitat: Tropical Waters

Weapon: Bites and Ciguatera toxin; a poison these fish sometimes carry in their flesh.

Consequence: Kills humans who eat flesh of infected fish. Of the 22 barracuda species found throughout the world, the great barracuda is the only one known to attack humans through biting resulting in minor stitches, and on rare occasions, surgery. Their bites can cause deep, slashing cuts that cause nerve and tendon damage and sometimes severing large blood vessels. A barracuda normally keeps its distance from swimmers but you can avoid a confrontation by not wearing jewellery because they may view the flash of jewellery or camera equipment as a silvery fish. Remove jewellery, and avoid murky water, and do not tease the fish.

Treatment: If you are experiencing nausea, vomiting, pain, trouble breathing,seizures, confusion or abnormal skin color it is imperative that you call an ambulance or your countries poison control center.

NOTE: Have this number available with your other emergency contacts, go online now to find your local poison control number.

As for bites, apply pressure to the affected area to stop the bleeding and seek immediate medical help.

Coneshell Fish

Habitat: Tropics and coral reefs. Found mostly in mud and sand flats shallow reef waters.

Weapon: Harpoon-like barb

Consequence: Barb injects paralyzing venom that can kill a human. The venom contains neurotoxic peptides and can cause burning sensation, nausea, weakness, pain, swelling and numbness, lack of co-ordination and blurred vision loss of speaking ability. Severe cases can result in death if the barb enters the respiratory muscle causing paralysis.

Treatment: Soak affected area in hot water to relieve pain. It is crucial to seek medical attention if the pain continues for hours. Try to keep the cone shell that injected you so a specialist can identify it and assist you with the best treatment.

Box Jellyfish

Habitat: Great Barrier Reef and eastern Australia. Avoid swimming during wet seasons where rates of stinging increases significantly from October-November and April-May.

Weapon: Dozen of tentacles as long as 10 feet, containing a deadly venom.

Consequence: The stinging sensation is caused by cells that are activated when they come in contact with certain chemicals on the surface of humans. Stings have severe effects on the heart, damage to the nerves, and on the skin. You can go into shock from the harsh sting which can become fatal if swimming alone, experience necrosis of the affected tissue  where your skin gets eaten away leaving a terrible scar, experience cardiac arrest within minutes, and in some cases, the venom can kill within minutes. The severity of the sting depends on the size of the jellyfish, the amount of tentacles that make contact with your skin, the size of the victim and the sensitivity level of the victims skin.

Treatment: A quick solution is having normal vinegar and pouring it onto the affected area. If the jellyfish is hooked onto you, you can remove it by pouring the vinegar onto it and leave it soak for 30 seconds, then you can safely remove the tentacle. If you try to remove the tentacle alone, you risk releasing the venom.

Surgeonfish

Habitat: Tropics and coral reefs

Weapon: Razor-sharp spines in tail

Consequence: These fish tend to stay away from swimmers and divers but they have been known from time to time to inflict deep lacerations. Their bladlike-spines located near their tail cause bloody wounds with high chance of infection.

Treatment:

-For pain relief soak the affected area in super hot water, but not to the point where you give yourself a burn of any kind.

-Use tweezers to remove the blades.

- Scrub the affected area with soap and water.

-Do not close the wound with anything. Simply apply pressure to stop any bleeding. 

- If infection (pus, redness, heating sensation) occurs, apply antibiotic ointment or oral antibiotics are usually recommended to prevent infection. Continue antibiotics for at least 5 days after all signs of infection have cleared. Tell the doctor if you have any drug allergies prior to starting any antibiotic. Some antibiotics can cause sensitivity to the sun, so it is recommended that you use sunscreen. You should be using a strong sunscreen if you are in the outdoors anyways!

Stingray

Note: Very docile creatures only attack (extremely rare) if surprised or in self defense.

Habitat: Coastal waters of Australia

Weapon: A sting with serrated edges, or barbs located near the base of the tail that contains a venom gland.

Consequence:

Damage usually occurs to the ankles and lower legs when someone accidentally steps on a ray buried in the sand. A stingray's venom is very painful but isn't usually deadly unless the strike is to the chest or abdominal area. The affected area will swell and have a blue-ish white appearance. Although rare, some symptoms of the venom include nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, diarrhea, salivation, sweating, syncope, cardiac arrhythmias and convulsions.

The most destructive part of the sting mechanism can actually be the barbs on the spine. The sharp tip of the sting enters a person smoothly, but its exit is jagged producing severe penetrating injuries and infection including tetanus. Pulling the spike out of a human's chest or abdomen for example could cause death due to massive tissue tearing.

Treatment:

The following information was gathered from medical professionals on emedicinehealth.com

A stingray injury that does not need to be checked by a doctor is rare.

·         Home first aid measures should be started, but a medical evaluation is also warranted. 

·         Lay the person down. 

·         If the person is vomiting, position the person on the side so they do not inhale vomit.

·         Stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure with a clean cloth or whatever is available such as a beach towel. 

·         You may attempt to remove the stinger with tweezers to decrease toxin exposure if doing so will not cause further injury. Be careful not to yourself with the stinger. 

·         If there is no pain, then treat as a puncture wound or laceration by cleaning and disinfecting with soap and water. 

·         If there is pain, bleeding, or more than a minor wound, and symptoms such as faintness or sweating (which indicate that venom has been absorbed into the body), arrange for transportation to a medical facility. 

o    If in a remote area, treat the pain by immersing the injured area in water as hot (but not burning) as the person is able to tolerate (113°F or 45°C) for 30-90 minutes. This neutralizes the painful effects of the venom because the venom is inactivated by heat. 

o    Oral pain medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol)or ibuprofen (Advil) can be given if the person is not vomiting and not allergic to it.

NOTE: If you belong to Divers Alert Network (DAN), call their emergency number to obtain medical evacuation assistance and arrange for referral to a medical care facility. Your DAN membership card has details.

Moray Eel

Habitat: Tropical Oceans including Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Weapon: Sharp teeth and a nasty Bite.

Consequence: Bites are not that common from the eel because these creatures tend to be very be shy living and hiding in the day among rocky crevices, ship wrecks, or in costal coral reefs and hunting for food at night.Divers are sometimes bitten by eels when they swim too closely to the eels' habitat. Their sharp teeth can inflict damage muscles and tendons.

Treatment: If not treated, the bite can cause a serious infection. Consult a doctor immediately!

Rabbitfish

Habitat: Coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans including areas such as south-eastern China, southern India, and the Malay Archipelago.

Weapon: Venomous Spines in fins.

Consequence: Their poison can still kill even after fish is dead and on butchers block. The spines can deliver a painful sting. Some people have mild yet painful reactions while others get really sick.

Treatment: Seek medical attention right away!

Sea anemones

Habitat: Their habitat varies. Many species around the world live along or under the rocks or rock like coral in coastal tide pools, they even hitch a ride on the backs of crabs.

Weapon: Similar to the jellyfish sting, their tentacles contain a toxic venom that can paralyze small fish and other creatures that come into contact with it but it is not strong enough to paralyze a human.

Consequence: Do not touch them however beautiful they may seem, they will sting you. They induce swelling and blister that can last up to 6 weeks! Expect swelling, red and raised hives, that in more severe cases, get as big as the size of a cd  with painful oozing blisters and long term scarring.

Treatment: Take a picture of the creature if you can (so doctors can find the right treatment) and seek medical help.  Vinegar, hydrocortisone and antihistamines will not help.

 Piranha

Habitat:  Found in lakes and in rivers of the Guyanas, in the Paraguay-Paraná, and the São Francisco River systems, throughout most of South America in the Amazon Basin Brazil and Venezuela. Piranhas have also been found in the Kaptai Lake in south-east Bangladesh.

Weapon: Razor Sharp teeth.

Consequence: Piranhas smell blood from hundreds of feet away so if you have any trace of blood on your clothing or you have a small gash, this is the fish you want to avoid at all costs.

Treatment: Depending on severity of the attack, normal first aid treatment should suffice. In severe cases, seek immediate hospitalization. It is rare, but people have been known to be consumed by a school of piranhas. Get out of the water as fast as you can!

Sharks

Habitat: Sharks are found in all seas. The Bullshark is an exception and the River shark can live both in seawater and freshwater.

Weapon: Razor sharp teeth, strong jaw and brute force.

Consequence: Sharks have been known to attack humans but experts reassure swimmers and divers that they are not that common and sharks are merely protecting their territory or have been provoked. In most cases, sharks have mistakenly attacked humans because they resembled their food source such as seals. If you are attacked by a shark you will most likely experience sever lacerations and tissue damage, loss of a limb, or death.

Fight back! Hit the shark with an object such as a surf board if you have one at the time or kick the eyes, nose, or gills which are areas of most sensitivity.

Treatment: If you experience a brief attack with minor lacerations, apply pressure to the wound and seek medical assistance. In severe cases, loss of a limb may result but you have much to celebrate, you have survived probably the scariest attack of your life and you have lived to talk about it.