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Marine creatures dangerous for divers in tropical waters
Affiliations- Polish Society of Hyperbaric Medicine and Technique, Gdynia, Poland
- Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine; Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland
open access
Abstract
Diving has been gaining in popularity in recent years with spectacular dive sites in tropical waters. Before anyone goes diving, they should learn about the risk factors associated with the exposure to hyperbaric conditions and also the risks from exposure to marine life. Apart from amazing views of the coral reefs, divers may be astonished by the magnitude of marine species diversity in local waters, ranging from predators (sharks, barracuda, moray eels) to venomous or stinging fish (jellyfish, anemones) and sea snakes. If travelers are unprepared and know little about the existing risk factors, a diving trip that was much looked forward to may turn out to have some very unpleasant consequences. The article describes the most common marine species which divers can come across in tropical waters. It also discusses the management of injuries caused by dangerous marine creatures.
Abstract
Diving has been gaining in popularity in recent years with spectacular dive sites in tropical waters. Before anyone goes diving, they should learn about the risk factors associated with the exposure to hyperbaric conditions and also the risks from exposure to marine life. Apart from amazing views of the coral reefs, divers may be astonished by the magnitude of marine species diversity in local waters, ranging from predators (sharks, barracuda, moray eels) to venomous or stinging fish (jellyfish, anemones) and sea snakes. If travelers are unprepared and know little about the existing risk factors, a diving trip that was much looked forward to may turn out to have some very unpleasant consequences. The article describes the most common marine species which divers can come across in tropical waters. It also discusses the management of injuries caused by dangerous marine creatures.
Keywords
marine fauna, divers, danger, injuries
About this articleTitle
Marine creatures dangerous for divers in tropical waters
Journal
Issue
Article type
Review article
Pages
283-292
Published online
2021-12-30
Page views
6408
Article views/downloads
695
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
IMH 2021;72(4):283-292.
Keywords
marine fauna
divers
danger
injuries
Authors
Jarosław Krzyżak
Krzysztof Korzeniewski
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