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Scotland & NI 165/01
23 June 2001
DIVER SERIOUSLY ILL AFTER JELLYFISH ATTACK
| Clyde
Coastguards were alerted to a report of a sport diver at
just before 1400 hours on 23 June 2001 who had become
seriously ill after being stung by Jellyfish whilst
decompressing in the waters of Ailsa Craig, on the Firth of
Clyde.
The man, an experienced
diver in his 50’s from Leeds, was carrying out routine
decompression stops after a dive to 32-metres when a shoal
of Jellyfish drifted into him and stung him severely around
the neck and face. |
Fast offshore 105
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| Colleagues
on his dive boat, the ‘Rachael Claire’ assisted him back
on board and rendered first aid to ease his discomfort.
Shortly afterwards, the diver also began to show signs of
decompression sickness known as the ‘bends’ and
Coastguards connected the dive boat by Radiotelephone directly
to the Royal Infirmary at Aberdeen for urgent medical advice.
As a result of recommendations from the duty doctor,
Coastguards tasked Rescue 177, a Royal Navy Sea King
helicopter from Prestwick to evacuate the diver to the
Hyperbaric Recompression Chamber on the Island of Cumbrae,
where his condition was assessed and new stings were found
inside the divers mouth. Therapeutic recompression was
considered unnecessary but owning to the severity of the
divers reaction to the stings, particularly in his mouth, that
urgent medical attention was now required on the mainland.
Clyde Coastguard Duty Watch Manager Dave Thompson reported,
"This is the first time we can recall when Jellyfish have
created a serious accident to a diver. Fortunately, the dive
supervisor alerted us early and we were able to connect him
directly to a doctor to receive medical advice. As a result of
this advice, the diver is now undergoing intensive treatment
and we have been informed that his serious condition should
improve accordingly." |
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