A tourist visiting the Far North has told of the ‘terrifying’ symptoms he experienced after he was stung by a potentially deadly jellyfish while swimming at a Cairns beach.
Will Willitts was hospitalised in Cairns after an encounter with an Irukandji jellyfish inside the marine stinger enclosure at Palm Cove.
He has thanked staff from the Queensland Ambulance Service and Cairns Hospital for helping save him from serious injury or worse.
Mr Willitts, who was visiting Cairns from Sydney with his partner Gary, decided to go for a dip inside the Palm Cove marine stinger enclosure in the afternoon, following a long day of exploring the Atherton Tablelands.
Mr Willitts, who has previously visited Cairns, said he was aware of the dangers of marine stingers and thought he was safe joining other tourists swimming inside the net at the popular beach.
‘Just as we were getting out of the water, I felt something on my left butt cheek, and said ‘Oh, I’ve been stung, swimming in Sydney, I’m used to bluebottles. But this was stronger than a bluebottle sting.’
Returning to his accommodation, after a whole day in the sun, Mr Willitts started feeling incredibly hot. Gary suggested he take a shower to cool down.
‘I got into the shower, then started vomiting,’ Mr Willitts said.
‘And then I started the shakes and found it hard to breathe. I was restless and just couldn’t get comfortable.’
With his partner shaking uncontrollably on the floor, Gary dialled Triple Zero (000).
A Queensland Ambulance Service crew soon arrived, to rush Will to Cairns Hospital’s Emergency Department.
‘I didn’t think I was going to get to the hospital in time. I was terrified,’ Mr Willitts said.
‘At one point lying on the floor, shaking and fighting to breathe, I thought ‘this is it, I’m going to cark it.’ ‘
‘The ambos were great at helping me to not panic so much. We made it to Cairns and they took me into Emergency.
‘I didn’t really have a big welt or sting on my body, but they told me with all the sweating, crazy seizures and not being able to breathe, that it was symptoms of an Irukandji jellyfish sting.’
Irukandji jellyfish are about 2cm in diameter. A sting from these venomous creatures is known to cause an initial minor skin sting, followed 5-40 minutes later by severe muscular pain, headache, vomiting and sweating.
The sting from some species can cause very high blood pressure or have effects on the heart that may end up being life-threatening.
These symptoms are sometimes referred to as irukandji syndrome.
Mr Willitts said he had been sweating so much while he stayed in hospital overnight, his bed sheets needed to be changed three times.
‘I was still very restless. I was really kind of scared, I was completely dry from the waist up, but just soaking wet everywhere else from all the sweat,’ he said.
Mr Willitts was given several intravenous courses of medication, including an administration of magnesium to counter the jellyfish’s venom’s effect on his body.
He soon recovered and was eventually discharged from the hospital later the next day.
‘Everyone who looked after me – the ambos, the nurses, the doctors were all extraordinary,’ he said.
‘I felt like a little boy being taken care of by the best loving parents. I know that sounds really corny, but I was totally blown away by the care.’
The most popular beaches in northern Queensland have stinger-resistant enclosures to allow beachgoers to go swimming throughout the year.
The enclosures are constructed of square mesh, which is designed to prevent large box jellyfish and large segments of box jellyfish tentacles from entering the enclosure.
Irukandji jellyfish, however, are small enough to slip through the netting. Their presence along beaches is detected by dragging sampling nets parallel to beaches, including inside stinger enclosures.
If any jellyfish are found, beaches are temporarily closed to swimmers.
Mr Willitts said there needed to be more awareness of the risks posed by Irukandji jellyfish, particularly for those not familiar with marine dangers in the tropics.
‘I knew it was stinger season and to stay inside the nets. But I wasn’t counting on these little buggers slipping through the sides of the nets,’ he said.
Marine stinger safety
- Always swim at patrolled beaches, between the red and yellow flags
- Look for and obey safety signs (which may be on the footpath away from the water’s edge)
- Don’t enter the water when beaches are closed
- Ask a lifesaver or lifeguard for help and advice if you need it
- Don’t touch marine stingers washed up on the beach, they can still sting you
In tropical waters, it is also recommended that you take these additional measures:
- Swim in the stinger nets where provided
- Wear a full-body lycra suit to provide a good measure of protection against marine stings, particularly during the stinger season. If you are unable to wear a stinger suit, a rash vest is advisable.