Man dies from stingray injury at Tasmania's South Arm
A 42-year-old man who was swimming at a Hobart beach when he was stung by a stingray has died, despite attempts by paramedics to resuscitate him.
Police remove the man's belongings from the beach where he had been swimming. Photo: Phoebe Hosier
Tasmania Police confirmed the man was stung on the abdomen while swimming at Lauderdale, about 13 kilometres east of Hobart, on Saturday afternoon.
"Attempts to resuscitate the male were unsuccessful. In the immediate period prior to his death the male had been bathing in the waters a short distance from the shore," police said in a statement.
"He was removed from the water by friends prior to the arrival of emergency services.
"It was reported he was unaccompanied in the water at the time of sustaining a puncture wound to his lower abdomen."
A witness told the ABC she could see a "number of paramedics" performing CPR on a man at Roches Beach, Lauderdale, just after 3:00pm.
Other witnesses at the scene were too distraught to speak publicly.
Clarence Mayor Doug Chipman said the council would consider closing the beach if advised.
"It's a dreadful accident, I'm actually shocked," he said.
"My prayers go out to the family and friends of the man.
"I'm not aware of any other stingray attacks on the beach there but we will be taking advice from the experts and from Tasmania Police in terms of public safety."
A number of stingray species are found in Tasmanian waters, with the waters around Lauderdale known to be frequented by the animals.
© Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
Comments
Tragic news. I'd trodden on a few skates over the years, though thankfully never suffered injuries - however I do know people who've had their feet punctured.
So when surfing some locations (i.e. long slopey beaches like Middleton thru' Goolwa with broad regions of shallow whitewater) I now usually shuffle across the sand, so that if I come across a skate/stingray, I kick it on the side rather than tread on top of it.
Sensible advice ThermalB
Nice one !
While we are at it. I grew up in rural coastal Australia. So for everyone(especially city folk)...
When hiking in the bush always wear long pants /trouser that are baggy at the bottom. That way if a snake bites it has more chance of bitting fabric rather than yourself.
Also funnel web spiders can live in fresh water for up to 12 hours .so make sure they are not hanging in the bottom of the pool.(if you have one .) Remember always check your shoes in the morning.
Also when hiking Cary a big stick in front of you vertically this way when you reach a spiders web it will break the web and send the spider to the side. ( I know this is off topic. I feel the need to write it though.)
Condolences to the family and friends affected. This is tragic.
Proabably went into toxic shock.....poor bugger
Most indescribable pain a very horrific death...{R.I.P}
I only spiked my toe on a Sting Ray at Snapper quay.
2 hours later the pain level reaches [9] (tears welling up)demanding for leg amputation...
Those with barb still inside wound suffer pain level of [10] pleading for mercy killing
Sting site keeps pumping poison up the limb to double size becoming rock hard & heavy.
Turns purple & the slightest feather touch is excruciating.
Don't put 'Hot water' on wound! I swear it brought on swelling faster! Warm water is ok!
Intense pain peaks at 2 hrs and lasts 4-5 hrs and you'll tread softly for weeks after.
The flesh in & around the sting site usually contracts 'Necrosis' (Cells die & flesh won't heal)
The flesh on top of my foot suffers occasional ongoing swelling & pain due to Necrosis.
After 10 years I am now resigned to the fact of that area never completely healing.
Sting Ray Zombie...'One of us'... 'One of us'... Kill for decent Brain Coral recipe!
Wow tbb that's crazy.
What a nightmare
Can you get colloidal silver onto the area TBB? I got the dreaded white tail spider bite on my left hand and covered it with silver-soaked bandaid for a month or more - it healed, no necrosis, slight scar now.
That's pretty Heavy metal VJ!
Of all the crocodiles Irwin jumped on it was a stingray that got him in the end.. What can you do though, besides not go in the water?
Well in Steves case ,dont ride/wrestle sting rays
My condolences too, very unfortunate you would think. Trod on something just the other day that I believe was a ray. Any stats on rays? TBB. A Shark relative. Where's the hysteria?
Poor bloke. What a way to go. These animals should be avoided at all costs.
Years ago I was stung on the hand while being thrown around in the whitewater after pulling in to a close out. I thought I'd been hit by my board but soon realised something else had got to me when the pain went through the roof. The WORST pain imaginable. Hot water seemed to give instant relief. The barb was still in my hand for a month before a doctor dug it out. 20 years on and I still get severe nerve pain if I bump that area. DO NOT try and touch these creatures.
I spoke with a woman who had been stung by a sting ray. She said in her mind it was waaaaay worse than child birth.
Wow heavy stories here! Never knew that the pain was so bad! Stay clear.
Cos I know you like the footy.
http://m.afl.com.au/news/2015-03-29/astburys-stingray-pain
"Sometimes life throws you a curve-ball and mine was a stingray this time." Haha
redmondo had a lucky escape....Ben's safety Tip is close to the Mark...
Marine Stinger Hysteria usually gets whipped up either side of Xmas/New Year.
Irukandji- Morbakka/ Blue Bottles/Jellies/Stone Fish /Sting Rays
Mid Summer is peak wading season. Women & Children start to feature in the stats.
Consider SUP craze in creeks & Bays.(Quite a lot of heavy sand shuffling-upsetting nooks)
"SPATE" of stings within a day/week/month can clear a popular creek or Kids beach.
Qld- Tallebudgera or Bullock Beach...NSW - Rose Bay have all been cleared the same.
Gold coast only has 1 or 2 stings a year... around summer
This ABC Story on inshore sea-critters is the place to start...(stats + locales)...
NSW 2013-2016 ...Blue Bottles 159/Stingrays 116/Sharks 20/Jelly Fish 14/Octopus 6
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-18/rate-of-stingray-injuries-prompts...
Not forgetting Norm v Megladon MantaRay
Thank you. Love octopus amazing creatures.
I've twice swum over big stingrays at Gnarabup and Augusta in poor visibility. Each time in shallow water, so with the fish about 300mm below me. I can only say they were very forbearing and did not take me for a threat. Never a given!
Trod on one which got me in the big toe only. TTB correct about the pain. Went home and got on Dr google- tried the hot water thing before pain went through the roof then took myself to a medical center where i got local aesthetic "nerve block"and Doc dug out the bits of barb. Hate to get stung in remote area. kept getting weird sensations in general foot area weeks later. That poison is seriously bad.
The difference in reaction between this event and a fatal shark attack is fascinating.
Perhaps it's because stingray deaths are so uncommon?
Or perhaps its because we understand even less about the stingray than we do the shark?
Not as painful as some of these encounters but was windsurfing once and stepped off my board straight onto what I can only assume was an electric ray. Speed was zero to "back on board" in about 0.000005 seconds flat!!! Lesson learnt - don't windsurf barefoot.
Painful encounters aside though large stingrays are poetry in motion - unless you accidentally hook one up and then they're just a fucking steam train!!!
Had a little one cross the sandbar in front of me a couple of weeks back. In WA, kicked out of a wave right over a full dinner table sized one, that made me hold my breath! Have jumped off the back of the boat at Rotto and had a full size family swim past, have had huge ones eating dinner scraps off little jetties in front of the kids south of Dongara.
Once, one pissed off stingray stalked me from North Scarborough through Contacio into South Trigg. Banks were deep, and it would come up and buzz me, so I'd go to the next peak, it would follow on the bottom, then come up again. I'd move on. It did this for about half an hour.
Only sting I've seen is a bloke getting speared in the hand by the Swan River Cobbler. That was pretty painful for him.
RIP to the Tasmanian fellow, very sad news.
Every reason to question the Hysteria.
Said Stingray tragedy could trigger first [BEACH CLOSED] (Stingray Cull... Dial these turds!)
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/popular-hamelin-bay-stingray-slaught...
Snake won't close the beach but will Ban swimming in the surf... "Snake in the FLAGS"
https://www.greatlakesadvocate.com.au/story/2802060/brown-snake-swims-be...
Sharon the stonefish shut down GCCC Evandale swim enclosure for 5 weeks...
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/council/elusive-gold-coast-sto...
Big/Small critters will shut Flags...Sharks/Croc/Dingoes/Dogs/Bluebottles/Jellyfish...& more
Many protected critters will shut flags...Whales/Dugong/Seals/Penguin...& more
Stingrays/Stonefish/Snakes seem to clear Patrolled areas rather than [BEACH CLOSED]
H2O your story is welling my eyes up...just thinking about ...Never again!
For the record if you stand on fish spike take precaution...Stay close to shore.
If the pain is shooting up your leg ..Get to transport fast... Clock is ticking you down!
Note: truebluebasher & H20 skipped this bit...waited far too long & rocked up like madmen!
Qld Govt have some useful advice regarding our Deadly Stingers.
https://www.qld.gov.au/emergency/safety/recreation/dangerous-marine
I actually paddled back out after it got me thinking- Oh well, its either going to get better or worse. No idea how worse.
Poor stumpy, would be very traumatic, like seeing your dog being slaughtered. Big crock didn't stop backpackers from swimming at cable beach! And my friend plays with blue ringed octopus! Reckons they are safe.
On Hamilton Island in the main bay where all the kids wave and swim there were heaps of small sting rays. The beach hire staff downplayed them. But after some of these stories I would be very wary if I was there again. From memory shuffling the feet scared them off.
Have seen hundreds of big rays diving over the years in the same general area , friendly most of the times sometimes they follow me as im hunting crays occasionally they come up off the bottom to say hi . Very sad must have shocked it and a defence reaction . Themalben skates are harmless no spines
A few years back I was bringing in my jetski and a big bugger had been hanging around chasing people out of the water for a couple of weeks. I was in about 3 feet of water and it went under me and then started barbing the bottom of the ski. Still have the scratches in it. It then started getting its tail out of the water each side of the ski. I ended up standing on the seat and just beaching it. Apparently someone caught it and removed it's tail. The thing would have been at leat 7 foot across. I've swum along side them but I'd never swim over one ever. F That. Not worth it. I stupidly scooped up a swimming cobler with my hand once while boat fishing and it was extremely painful. We were catching decent fish so I endured the agony through beer. Excruciating pain. My condolences for the victim and his family. RIP.