Journey to a Coral Reef

Explanation about life in the coral reef

Coral Reef World

Dangerous marine animals

There are times when you inevitably encounter unexpected dangerous animals in the ocean. If possible, you would want to avoid such things. However, would you know what to do if you were stung by one of these dangerous marine animals?

Box Jellyfish

The bell-shaped medusa covering of the box jellyfish is half translucent so it can be very hard to see. Sometimes you can find them in the shallow part of the ocean, often as close to the surface as 50 cm. During May and October we have accidental encounters with these jellyfish, and the number of accidents increase when the jellyfish grow large during July and September. When stung, it is very painful and some may even experience shock. So far there have been 3 cases where people have died.
The jellyfish are found all throughout Okinawa. However, they have yet to be found in some areas such as the Kerama islands.
The jellyfish has a lot of poisonous needles called nematocyst and poison-filled capsules in its tentacles; once its tentacles touch something, the stingers project out and inject poison.

First-Aid

1. Get out of the water when you have been stung. Do not rub the area where you have been stung.
2. Apply a lot of vinegar on the infected area.
3. Gently remove the tentacles.
4. Cool the infected area with cold water or ice it when it hurts.

In case of an emergency

In the event that the injured person has stopped breathing or his heart has stopped beating, please perform CPR or vascular massage immediately.

How to prevent being stung by the jellyfish

Do not recklessly touch it

If you do not touch the dangerous animal, you will not be stung. When you see beautiful fish swimming in the water when at the beach, take precautions when you approach them and do not touch them recklessly. It is important for people fishing to know which marine animals are safe and which are dangerous.

Stay inside the net which guards against the jellyfish

You will often see nets designed to prevent jellyfish on the Okinawan beaches. Make sure to stay inside the net as much as possible.

Check to see if there is a warning for incident of jellyfish and other dangerous animals

Before you swim, check to see if there are any warnings for jellyfish. Only swim after checking the bulletin board or with the lifeguard in advance.

Go in the water with the least amount of skin exposed as possible

Wear a wetsuit, a long-sleeve t-shirt and a spat to avoid exposing skin in places where there is no jellyfish net. Wearing those items of clothing decreases the risk of injury, even if you are stung.
Although they do not completely prevent being stung, the clothing does keep it to a minimum by preventing the poisonous stinger from fully penetrating the skin.

List of dangerous marine life

There are many dangerous marine lives besides Box Jellyfish in the sea.
What kind of marine life is dangerous, please refer to the PDF below in case of the emergency.
(Source: HP of Okinawa Public Health and Environmental Institute. 2011 year edition.)

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（PDF約1.96MB）

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Must-see Points

Learning more about the dangerous sea animals

In this area the staff will explain which sea animals are dangerous and how to deal with a sting injury. For example, did you know there are cases when you should use vinegar and when you shouldn't use it after you have been stung? How you handle it all depends on the type of marine animal that has stung you. Here you can learn in detail how to deal with sting injuries.

Poisonous creatures are beautiful?

You may have a scary image of what a dangerous sea animal is supposed to look like. In fact, such animals may have a beautiful, appealing appearance. Here you can observe closely what kind of appearance they have.

 

*Please note that there are reading mistake.

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