Heads Up Wetsuit hanging in Garage

VICLB's picture
VICLB started the topic in Saturday, 16 May 2015 at 12:40pm

Just a heads up about leaving wettie hanging in your garage.

I've done it for a long time never thought twice. well was going for a surf at Gunna on the Mornington Peninsula, lucky mine was inside out after turning it right way a big red back spider fell out next to my foot! no idea where it was in the wettie but she was there.

Could have been a bloody disaster if my wettie was the right way and i jumped in. So check your suit if you have it hanging anywhere. first time this has ever happened to me. i was shocked...

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Sunday, 17 May 2015 at 6:35am

Yikes! I normally hang mine over the (outside) balcony, and haven't had any problems. As soon as it's dry though I throw it back into the car.

nochaser's picture
nochaser's picture
nochaser Sunday, 17 May 2015 at 5:04pm

A friend put his wetty on one morning (back zip days) and a huntsman was under the wetty in his arm.

VICLB's picture
VICLB's picture
VICLB Sunday, 17 May 2015 at 6:37pm

that would have freaked him !

poo-man's picture
poo-man's picture
poo-man Sunday, 17 May 2015 at 8:00pm

I used to leave my wetty hanging over the hedge out the front of my place. Then one day last year I pulled it on to find something bulging against my skin on my back then it bit me. Got it off super fast to find a big native weta trying to bite me. They're like a massive grasshopper nearly 3inches long and scary looking. At least my mates thought it was funny but no more hanging it on the hedge.

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Sunday, 17 May 2015 at 8:14pm

Yeah i had my springy hanging in a tree over night, threw it in the car next morning and when i put it on, got stung by a wasp near the groin...close call........haha but couldnt get it off quick enough when you feel something crawling around in there.

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Monday, 18 May 2015 at 11:54am

At Pondie one afternoon, left the wetty hanging on the board walk and when I was turning it inside out for a second surf, put my hand into the arm and felt something soft and furry.

Quickly pulled whatever it was out in my palm and it was a huge huntsman. Threw it away straight away and luckily didn't get bitten.

Hate to think what sits in there at times, unbeknown to us.

crip's picture
crip's picture
crip Monday, 18 May 2015 at 1:06pm

I remember reading about someone on the south NSW coast some years ago. They were staying overnight on the coast and left their wetties out to dry overnight. The next morning this fella was putting his wettie on and got bitten by a funnel web. Luckily not the Sydney variety which is the most venomous, but still he was a rather sick boy.
Huntsman spiders are not really venomous, but they're big so will give you a painful bite. It's the other nasty ones that I get the creeps about.

scottishsponger's picture
scottishsponger's picture
scottishsponger Tuesday, 19 May 2015 at 2:29pm

Yeah white tails can be pretty bad. I've left a tent open accidentally, for a week, then slept it in after a big night out. Woke up and went for a surf the next morning, making sure to check my wettie for any nasties. On the first wave I discovered my right leg wasn't really doing what I asked of it and felt like a heavy pile of rubber. Got out of the water after struggling with a few more waves and started to feel really crook. Then I noticed a big red bite on my leg. I could see the two points of incision. Went to the hospital but they couldn't do anything as I didn't see the spider so they couldn't administer the right anti-venin. I was feeling really groggy by this stage and went home to rest. Then my leg started tingling really bad and the bite had grown and festered into a gross volcano the size of a 50c piece. My thigh had also swollen to almost twice the size. Couldn't sleep cause I could literally feel the flesh in my leg festering and dying. Went back to the hospital the next day and they freaked. Put me on an anti-biotic drip straightaway and then proceeded to hack into my leg with a scalpel whilst I watched. I was so delirious and fluey I kind of enjoyed them hacking and squeezing out all the dead skin and pus, which by this stage was a significant amount. The end result is a crater in my leg where they removed the dead tissue. Could've been worse, apparently people have lost limbs to those sort of infected bites. Fortunately it didn't re-infect and I've got a nice scar with a back story to bring out at dinner parties.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 18 May 2015 at 3:34pm

...best told after everyone's eaten.

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Monday, 18 May 2015 at 6:05pm

After that story scottish i'll be shaking my wetty even harder....

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Monday, 18 May 2015 at 6:51pm

My mate put on his booties and felt something inside, he took it off and found a scorpion, strangely enough it didn't bite him, but ever since then i give my booties a good bang before putting them on.