Captain Chris Smith
VOL . 36 • ISS . 18
WHAT ’ S HOT SALT by Wes Ward
56 ’ High Speed Stable Catamaran Halibut • Stripers • Rockcod
Captain Quang Vo
3508
Stingray Strikes Back
Like many families , my wife and
I decided to beat the brutal Sacramento Valley heat with a midsummer vacation to the beach the last week of July . Courtesy of a friend , we scored a great furnished pad in Long Beach to call home for a week , so we packed up the kids , threw some shorts and t-shirts in a bag , and headed down I-5 with the goal of getting as much sun and ocean waves as we possibly could in seven days .
After conquering the relentless Los Angeles
evening commute , we rolled into our vacation home in the late afternoon . The skies were clear as a cool ocean breeze whisked thru our place . Highs that day were a very comfortable 72 degrees , a far cry from the 107 back at home . Our beach-bum plans were in full effect .
After breakfast the next morning , we suited up in swim suits and flip flops and lathered the kids in sunscreen . As we cruised down 101 towards Bolsa Chica beach , the surf was high and the beaches were only sparsely occupied with a few die-hard surfers and an occasional family sprawled out for a day in the sun . We basically had it to ourselves .
It only took a couple of minutes to lay out the blanket , cooler , and chairs to stake our claim in the sand , and we were off , into the cool water . The surf was perfect for boogey boarding , so after a couple of short
Stingrays conceal a sharp , serrated stinger near the base of their tail . The barbs on the stinger often break off in flesh . A membrane coating the stinger contains a strong toxin that affects the nervous system .
Photo by WES WARD , Fish Sniffer Staff ..
GOLDENEYE 2000
Call for CRAB COMBOS !
Departs Daily from The Berkeley Marina www . goldeneye2000 . com RESERVATIONS : 510-610-0888
Captain Chris Smith
Complimentary Barbeque !
Now Fishing STURGEON & BASS out of Martinez Marina New 34 ’ Catamaran hull - Fast - Comfortable - Seaworthy with Full Galley - complimentary Barbeque !
( 510 ) 322-0493
www . captainhooksportfishing . net
runs to show the boys the basics , I headed out about 30 yards to catch the big rollers .
Half way thru my third or fourth ride on the 6 foot waves , I felt a sharp piercing in my left ankle that forced me to roll off the board . As I my feet touched the soft bottom about 2 feet beneath the water , I felt another , much more piercing pain in the bottom of my left foot .
Immediately , I knew I stepped on something , and put all my energy on getting back to our blanket on the beach to examine the damage . Unfortunately , I couldn ’ t make it that far . Within 30 seconds of the initial pain , my left leg began to burn and cramp up . I felt an intense pain shooting thru my hip , greatly hindering my ability to crawl out of the waves .
As I rolled on to shore like a beached whale , my wife and kids quickly informed me I was bleeding and didn ’ t look so good . A lifeguard stationed a few feet from our claim , knew right away that I had been stung by a stingray and instructed me go to the triage station about a ¼ mile down the beach .
By this time , the pain in my left side was far beyond anything I had ever experienced in my life . I simply could not move my leg . It felt as if it was on fire from the inside .
I stumbled into to the First Aid office and collapsed into a folding chair nearly losing consciousness . A young man in the triage area immediately placed a bucket of near boiling water at my feet and placed my bleeding leg into it . The sting of the hot water was almost pleasant compared to the fire in my leg .
As I gained my breath and scanned my surroundings , I realized that there were at least eight to ten other people in the room , all with a foot in a bucket like myself . Some one in the room muttered something to the effect of , “ he got it good .” Someone else leaned over to me and reassuringly stated , “ it will get better very soon .”
Over the next 90 minutes , my pain subsided as my foot and ankle swelled . Every few minutes , new face would stumble into the room , writhing in pain as a familiar face recovered enough to walk
3426
SALTWATER
out with minimal pain . All of us victims of stingray stings , including a couple of lifeguards who went into the waves .
Prior to this experience , I knew little about the potent weapon stingrays conceal at the base of their tails . The stinger itself is a sharp , serrated spear designed to break off after piercing flesh .
As if that wasn ’ t enough , it is also coated in a mucus material that contains a very strong neuro-toxin that is capable of paralyzing large predators . Unfortunately for me , I received a double dose of the toxin . Once from the swipe on the calf , and once
Cortisone injections help relieve pain and minimize swelling and inflammation in a specific area .
Photo by WES WARD , Fish Sniffer Staff ..
3X MUSTAD HOOK
REAL FISH IMAGE PRINT
WELDED RING
FOR MORE INFO VISIT : or call :
Aug . 18 - Sept . 1 , 2017
WIRED THROUGH RIGGING
HEAVY DUTY SPLIT RING
CHIP & PEEL RESISTANT UV COATED
WWW . AHIUSA . COM 1-866-264-1562 follow us
29
Closely related to sharks , stingrays can vary in size from 18 ” to nearly 7 ’. They frequent shallow water , concealing themselves by partially burying themselves in the sand .
Photo by WES WARD , Fish Sniffer Staff . from the puncture in the foot . The toxin dissolves quickly in hot water , hence the bucket treatment .
Within two hours of being stung , I was no longer in pain . Aside from a ¼ ” puncture on the ball of my foot and severe swelling , I was in pretty good shape . That evening , I removed two small pieces of the stinger from my foot , and felt positive that the worst was behind me . The family and I spent the next six days living the beach bum life as planned .
Two days after returning home from our trip , I began to experience severe cramps in the arch of my left foot . Two of my toes would go numb during the cramps , and would feel as if they were asleep for hours at a time .
An internet search of similar stings depicted horror stories of remnants of stingray stingers causing severe nerve damage . Some cases led to amputation of toes and feet . I ’ m not one to jump immediately to worst case scenario , but
was definitely inclined to seek professional medical treatment .
I made an appointment with my primary physician about 10 days after the original sting . By this point , my toes had been asleep continuously for days , and the bottom of my foot was swollen considerably , affecting my ability to walk .
The doc prescribed an antibiotic , and referred me to a pediatrist . Luckily , the pediatrist was from Hawaii and was well versed in stingray stings . He ordered an MRI to see if there was any portion of the stinger still in my foot and to examine the muscle and nerve structure .
The initial prognosis was that the stinger , which entered the ball of my foot and nearly exited between my second and third toes had severed large nerve that runs across the foot .
The MRI confirmed the doctor ’ s evaluation . The stinger not only punctured the nerve , but also severed a small muscle that keeps the toes in line with the foot . On the positive , there was no evidence that any of the stinger was still embedded in the foot , eliminating the need for surgery .
As of today , almost two months after the sting , I have received cortisone injections to control the swelling , but still have considerable nerve damage and scarring of the tissue between the toes . The cramps are gone , but I still have little or no feeling in my inflicted toes . Time will tell if the nerve will heal enough for me to regain feeling in my toes .
I ’ m not sure what the moral is here , or if there is a lesson to be learned from a freak accident , but if you find yourself surrounded by stingrays in the surf , try not to step on them .