Stings, bites and poison - underwater danger
Traumatogenic animals are those which could possibly cause a wound of some type i.e., inflict a bite, sting, and puncture. Any diver who has seen the movies "Open water" or "Jaws" will understand the anxiety that sharks can generate. Fortunately, predatory stealth attacks by large sharks are very rare and very few divers have been attacked underwater. But hundreds of other fish from eels to guppies can bite and do bite, and can tear a wetsuit or cause other damage to fins etc.
Venomous animals such as Weever fish, sea anemones, corals and jellyfish are the most likely cause of injury. Do not rub sand on a small sting site or rinse with fresh water; often stinging animals will have stung in several places and the un-activated stings will be activated by pressure or a change in temperature. Serious stings sites should have ice packs or anaesthetic creams administered; the victim must be monitored for signs of shock or respiratory distress and taken to medical attention immediately. For some venom, victims may need to be injected with epinephrine to prevent suffocation from anaphylactic shock, while milder cases can use oral antihistamines - getting expert advice is vital.
Electrogenic fish posses a special organ that discharges electricity through the water at surprisingly high voltages and is used to stun prey. There are about 250 species of fish known to possess electric organs capable of delivering painful electric shock. Some, like, electric eels and catfish live in freshwater, while stargazers and torpedo rays are marine species. Divers are not likely to see an electric eel unless they dive in the Amazon River, but electric rays are found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
While molluscs are eaten in large quantities around the world, it is worth remembering that they filter small particles from the water through extensive gills and then concentrate them in the body. Bivalves, which can thrive in polluted estuarine waters, accumulate all manners of pollutants. Check the gather site when eating shellfish and if it looks polluted, don't consume! There are numerous species of tropical fish which are poisonous and around ten tropical reef fish contain toxins fatal to humans.
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