There are lots to discover when you’re at the beach.
It takes us back to our childhood days of pretending to be pirates digging for treasure in the sand masses and wide seas, weaving around crumbly sandcastles.
The lucky ones find rare seashells, and even toys left behind sometimes.
If you’re not so lucky, however, you might end up finding hidden sea creatures who do not want to be disturbed at all.
Sentosa’s Stingray Stung
One fine day, a man who went to the beach to spend some quality time with his family left with an unfortunate, yet unforgettable, souvenir from his trip.
Sharing his experience in the Nature Society (Singapore) Facebook group on 3 April, one Benjamin Koellman recounted his story of being stung by a stingray just last week which you can read here.
He and his family had been playing in the waters of Tanjong Beach, one of Sentosa’s beaches, prior to the incident.
Just as they were about to leave the water, he accidentally stepped on a stingray.
Of course, when one’s home gets invaded and they get attacked, the first instinct for most would be to fight back in self-defence.
The stingray then stung the man with a force that “felt like a hammer” hitting his ankle, which was probably stronger than Thor’s at that moment.
Spent 4 Days In SGH
Lifeguards tended to the man after the attack, whom he praised for responding quickly and seeming like they knew what they were doing.
An ambulance ferried him to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) thereafter, to which the man quipped that his three-year-old son felt jealous of as he wasn’t the one getting to ride an ambulance.
Describing the pain as “some of the most intense nerve pain I’ve felt in my life,” the man had to suffer for three nights and four days in the hospital before it subsided.
The pain was worse at nights, and even the hospital couldn’t find ways to reduce it.
It wasn’t only hurting at the spot he had been stung at, but the pain continued shooting up his leg and down to his foot, despite being on generous and constant dosages of heavy painkillers including morphine, Tramadol and Panadol.
His wound looked pretty severe, and a mixture of blood and pus could be seen secreting from it in a photo he took.
Ouch.
Thankfully, he was able to get discharged on the fourth day. All that remains now is a small scar and no pain, he wrote.
Not A One-In-A-Million Freak Accident
We occasionally hear stories of people getting stung by jellyfish, stingrays, or any other random sea creature at the beach, but it’s actually more common of an occurrence than we think.
Doctors at the hospital and the lifeguards told the man that another similar incident involving the exact same injury had happened that afternoon too at Siloso Beach.
This meant that whatever happened to him hadn’t been a rare accident and does happen on Sentosa’s beaches sometimes.
He advised beachgoers to shuffle their feet instead of taking definite steps the next time they’re walking on the sand in the water.
Wild Singapore also said that it was best for beachgoers to wear covered shoes to be worn whenever possible, as stingrays only sting when threatened (aka when you step on them.)
They asked for people to keep a keen eye out for stingrays that may be difficult to spot.
If you feel something moving under your feet, step back from it and don’t step down.
The man also said that he did not blame the stingray one bit for being defensive, for he was the one who had come into its home and stepped on it.
May this serve as a reminder that after all, we’re in the hands of Mother Nature, so it wouldn’t hurt us to be careful not to harm any wild creatures especially in their dwellings.
Featured Image: Facebook (Benjamin Koellmann)
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