NEED ADVICE on STING RAY STRIKES:

[NamVetLesTreasureSeeker]

Anybody have any Personal Experiences with Sting Ray STRIKES? If so, what Beach Location in what STATE? The other day, a friend of mine got HIT
by a Sting Ray on a Gulf of Mexico Beach, North of Tampa, Fla.!! ALSO, who is USING STING RAY GUARDZ while water detecting, and in What STATES?
I just got back from 5-wks in Florida, where I DID AWHOLE LOT of water detecting on both coasts of Florida. I consider myself VERY B-L-E-S-S-E-D that
I DID NOT have any problems!! I mostly Water Detect the Delaware & S. Jersey Beaches, and I have NEVER HEARD of any problems around here, but
that does not mean, that there has not been any problems!! MANY THANKS for the feedback!! Les Robinson

 

[Finderskeeper]

The Stingray strikes I hear about are usually when someone steps on a resting stingray. I always shuffle my feet to make sure that I do not step on anything. Stingray is what killed Steve Irwin so they are not the slow peaceful creatures that many people think of.

Not sure about the guards. I hear some people use them but only after a friend or themselves were hit by a stingray. My own observation is that most do not use them.

 

[hershey1]

My experience with them is they usually move up and down the beach in groups or schools and when I see them I give them their space. But like Findkeeper said people sometimes step on them. I'm usually going slow and scooting my feet. Jellyfish is another thing to always be watching for. Be carefull and HH.

 

[erikk]

Fl west coast On many beaches I wear Chota kevlar boots with ray guards especially Ft Myers area

 

[erikk]

The Stingray strikes I hear about are usually when someone steps on a resting stingray. I always shuffle my feet to make sure that I do not step on anything. Stingray is what killed Steve Irwin so they are not the slow peaceful creatures that many people think of.

Not sure about the guards. I hear some people use them but only after a friend or themselves were hit by a stingray. My own observation is that most do not use them.

shuffle is fine till a wave knocks you backward & you step on one. Also they will follow you because when you dig you unearth some food so they will be close to your feet. Best advise...don't get hit & if you do you will always remember it

 

[Montauk3]

I will no longer work the water without stingray guards. After a friend told me about when she got hit, and what I read, I never go in the water without.

I stepped on one and luckily it just swam off without stabbing me.

Ralph

 

[William1221]

I was fishing and brought a 50lb ray. was getting the hook out of his mouth when I slipped his tail swung around and I got hit hit in the large toe. After 10 minutes the pain was excruciating it took 2 tylenol and 4 motrin to get off the beach. went the emergency room where they treated for an hour , then I was sent home with pain killers. live in Cape Hatteras NC

 

[jbow]

I'll never forget a woman who got stabbed between her big toe and 2nd toe. There was nothing available to give her except for some beer someone had. It was about an hour waiting for the ferry... she was delerious.
I am always really careful when I am in saltwater and drag my feet along... so far, so good.

J

 

[NamVetLesTreasureSeeker]

N/T.

 

[plsrskr]

Ok folks my sting ray expeience . I live in Pavones ,costa rica and was doing some surf fishing while the wife and kids were swimming . We were in a fairly rocky area where sting rays are not supposed to be. So I go between my 2 small children in the water scuffing my feet, as is the norm, just in case there is a sting ray. I am standing there and cast and WHAM ! I get nailed in the top/side of my foot by a sting ray. My kids playing in the water right there . There was not to much pain at first. I get out of the water and I bled like stuck pig for an hour or better. We walk back up to the house and by now my foot is aching.Well then we start talking to the locals and here was a couple cures to alleviate the pain. Boil water and hot pack with hot compresses to alleviate the pain . The problem is with the hot pack it hurts like heck on other parts of the foot where you were not stuck.So the next was to candle it. That's right . They took a lit candle and hold almost directly on top of the sting spot. AHhhhhh relief! It took the pain away as long as the candle was held almost on top of the sting.Move that close to another part of your foot and it burns , but the sting area, relief.They candled my foot for about 20 minutes...said that was enough. Then the pain came back . You need to keep the sting area elevated. I did this for several hours. It helped with the pain.I finally gave up and took 2 strong muscle relaxers that I had and within 30 minutes it was gone.Not sure if was the muscle relaxers or it was just time to were off.I DO NOT ADVOCATE TAKING RX IN ANYWAY. but this is what I did.Well the wound was horrible looking for about a month and enlarged to the size of quarter for a while. I still have a large scar from it. But I do say that the hot compresses and candling alleviated the pain,especially the candeling. The locals said the sting is like a freezing thing for lack of a better description. oh there was one more cure they suggested, drink rum........