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Original poster

Weaver fish stings

12 replies

RoxyFox211 · 13/07/2013 17:53

Had a lovely day at the beach yesterday, with dd (nearly 3) splashing about it the sea for ages & having lots of fun Smile! But after telling a friend about it she asked if I wasn't more concerned about weaver fish stings which are apparently really common & can (in extreme cases) be fatal. This has really scared me, so much so I'm thinking of getting dd some jelly shoes to wear in the sea next time. But am I being over protective & paranoid? None of the other kids were wearing shoes...

OP posts:
noodleone · 13/07/2013 18:03

Where were you at the beach roxy? There are signs up on beaches on the Isle of Wight

NomDeClavier · 13/07/2013 18:06

I got stung by one of these as a teen. Really, really painful so I would definitely get those jelly shoes.

lljkk · 13/07/2013 18:07

Thanks for reminding me to take shoes when we go tomorrow!

I think stings are actually fairly rare, but you only need to be stung once to think "Never risking THAT again".
We seem to go loads, none of us has ever been stung. But I have been at the beach when lifeguards announced that there were recent stings, or when they had chalked in a warning on their general info board.

They seem to come in swarms, so none at all for ages and then a spate of stings at some particular beach over just a few days. If you go to a beach with lifeguards they can tell you if weavers have been a recent problem.
Aqua shoes are cooler than jellys. Possibly cheaper, too. Probably better resale value on Ebay, too.

spudmasher · 13/07/2013 18:16

I have been stung. It's awful. I was rocking and mooing as if giving birth. Shoes for me all the way.

weblette · 13/07/2013 18:19

Ds was stung by one in France last year - had happened to lots of people on the same day. My lot only ever go in the sea wearing Crocs now.

spudmasher · 13/07/2013 18:22

Low tide is the dangerous time. You don't need to worry if the tide is high.

LIZS · 13/07/2013 18:23

dc have had these to protect against odd stones, rockpooling etc

anythingforaquietnight · 13/07/2013 18:24

Wiki says the last recorded fatality from a weever fish was in 1927, although the cause of death was not conclusive.

Weever fish do come into shallow waters in hot weather. We live on the coast and tend (sometimes, when feeling sensible) to wear wetsuit shoes or similar in the sea as a precaution, especially if we know there have been recent incidents. The sting is unpleasantly painful - I know from experience!

If you are on a lifeguarded beach and your DC is stung go straight to the lifeguard station. They will immerse the foot in hot water which (apparently) breaks down the protein in the sting. It is a very effective treatment. The sooner you get it treated the less painful the sting and the quicker the result.

If its an unguarded beach take a flask of hot water with you. I'm sure you'll have a bucket for sand castles with you. In the rare instance your little one is stung fill the bucket with hot water (not too hot obviously!) and put the stung foot in until the water cools. In our experience this is usually sufficient to treat the sting.

I am more concerned about broken glass in the sand left by inconsiderate humans and pollution than any danger from the indigenous marine life.

Original poster
RoxyFox211 · 13/07/2013 19:02

Cheers for all the replies! I see I'm not being too paranoid to consider this, will definitely be investing in some suitable shoes for dd (& possibly me too Wink I'm a real wimp for pain). We were at Looe beach in Cornwall, oh grew up near that beach and has never known anyone be stung there so maybe they are not that common but you never know, best to be safe.

OP posts:
agnesf · 13/07/2013 19:08

DS was stung by one in Spain when he was about 6 y/o. he said it hurt but didn't cry and i think it was probably about as bad as a wasp sting. We went to the life guard who put something on it - surgical spirit I think. It was fine in a hour or so and he is still alive.

OryxCrake · 13/07/2013 19:19

My youngest DS was stung by one in Portugal when he was little - around four I think.

The pain seemed to build up gradually over a few minutes. He screamed his head off and we were really worried at first but the pain wore off fairly quickly.

The lifeguard told me to make him walk up and down on the hot sand, which I guess does the same thing as the hot water.

Same as agnesf, he also put something on it but I can't remember what it was (this happened years ago) - may have been surgical spirit.

I'd go with the shoes if there's a chance of weaver fish.

BoreOfWhabylon · 13/07/2013 19:23

Hot, hot water for weever fish stings.

More stingy sea creature advice here

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