Coral Scrapes

[acelockco]

Better solution is to keep the freggin hands of the coral. Think that the little damage you have to your hand and multiply that because what happens to the coral when you touch it is worse.

If you can't help it as many new divers claim, add a small squirt of air to your BC and move a few feet up off the coral. You will still be able to see everything and enjoy your dive, you won't get a rash and the coral will be there for the next diver to see.

So during your next dive, remember the pain you caused yourself and remember keep the freggin hands of the coral.

[littleleemur]

Better solution is to keep the freggin hands of the coral.

Sometimes when diving tropical you can get scrapes when doing your safety stop along the line in high current. Always bring your tropical gloves in your BC pocket for situations like this. We learnt the hard way

[acelockco]

I always have gloves, but that is to protect my hands from the ropes, dive ladders, ect, and NOT to protect me from Marine Life.

[PinayDiver]

Just to share: Apo Island, a dive site here in the Visayas, forbids the use of gloves. When I was there early this year, I was told the policy was enforced by locals because tourists (in the 70s-80s) liked sitting on the massive table corals, clowning around for a souvenir photo. So, in this case, the possibility of scrapes = hands off.

[littleleemur]

tourists (in the 70s-80s) liked sitting on the massive table corals, clowning around for a souvenir photo.

Basically doing a Derek Zoolander on the sealife right?

That really get my blood boiling when I walk into a DS and see "class photos" lined up on the wall with all the students popping out of a giant sea sponge like a jack-in-the-box, surrounded by other students waving snapped-off seafans. And these are recent OW classes!

[PinayDiver]

That makes two of us, LL. On my Facebook page (in one application that allows contacts to anonymously describe me), somebody typed, "coral police." Evidently, I'm the one who obviously gets the long face when fins/bad bouyancy hit corals (or when divers pick up anything for show-and-tell or rather, to show off). I actually heard one DM say during his briefing, "Lay off the corals, Lu-Ann wouldn't like that," as if that was enough to reign them in I don't mind being the Kill Joy, somebody has to be

[BillGraham]

The surfer remedy is to scrub it with sand and flush it out.

"Scrub it, kook"

Then, hit it with the antibiotic ointment.

[Babydamulag]

Okay, this is the tried and true method but it is not without a bit of "PAIN".

The best way to remove those daggers that were injected into your skin is to scrape them out. Ouch, I know. Okay, here goes the technique. Get yourself a plastic comb with teeth that are close together, rubbing alcohol, NEOSPORIN, spray lanacaine, papertowels, and a piece of hardwood stick (just kidding). Wash the wound with warm water first. Then scrape the comb through the wound. This will pull the stingers. Immediately wash the comb with alcohol and scrape again. After that coat the wound in NEOSPORIN. Go sit down and cry in a dark room by yourself!!

[Papa Bear]

An once of prevention as they say! I always carry gloves regardless of some stupid rule by some government wonk! Just hide them in a pocket until needed and don't make a big deal of it! I have learned it does no good to ask, better to be forgiven and warned! Some of us just don't learn! LOL Having said that as long as you have demonstrated to the DM you ability to stay off their coral they won't care, just don't flaunt them to the DM and the other divers by waving as you pass another boat! But with Fire Corals ability to grow on mooring lines as well as Hydroids it is better to have the gloves as a safety issue. The best thing to say if challenged is you have an allergy! Who's to say?

[BillGraham]

By the way, coral cuts are great for creating festering staph infections so if it doesn't get better, let a doctor check you out.