December 6, 2009
SYDNEY (AFP) - A diver was critically ill Friday after a tiny but deadly irukandji jellyfish bypassed his full-body wetsuit to deliver a toxic sting to his face in waters off northern Australia, officials said.
The 29-year-old experienced "severe pain" after diving from a tourist yacht into waters off the country's northeast on Thursday afternoon, and was pulled back on board suffering severe shock.
He was taken to nearby South Molle island and administered first aid before being airlifted, shivering and in agony from the welts on his face, to intensive care on the mainland, the Queensland Rescue Helicopter service said.
Extremely venomous and able to squeeze through even the smallest of nets thanks to its fingernail-sized dimensions, the irukandji is one of Australia's most deadly marine stingers.
There's no antivenom for its sting and the pain may not be immediately felt, by which time symptoms have set in, including shooting muscle pain, vomiting, a rapid rise in blood pressure and occasionally heart failure.
Two tourists died after being stung by the minute creatures in northeastern Australia in 2002, and divers are advised to wear protective suits during the southern hemisphere summer.
