Coral Scrapes

[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.

[Jon Shaw]

I've seen a 5c piece coral cut turn into a near amputation in three days! The guy got staph and we were in the arse end of PNG, luckily he kept the leg but it still looks a mess after two months. Get it looked at asap, get betadine on coral cuts as soon as they happen and keep a close eye on them.
There is actually a great cream that you can buy in some countries, it's called mercurichrome... works a treat but remember that it is basically mercury and chrome hence why it isn't sold in a lot of countries. I used it on bad coral cuts when surfing, best advice when diving, don't touch the coral! It funny when people say there is a current they have to hold on... rubbish you just have swim harder when your not on the bottom and if you can't do that abort the dive... don't rip off half the reef.

[acelockco]

I've seen a 5c piece coral cut turn into a near amputation in three days! The guy got staph and we were in the arse end of PNG, luckily he kept the leg but it still looks a mess after two months. Get it looked at asap, get betadine on coral cuts as soon as they happen and keep a close eye on them.
There is actually a great cream that you can buy in some countries, it's called mercurichrome... works a treat but remember that it is basically mercury and chrome hence why it isn't sold in a lot of countries. I used it on bad coral cuts when surfing, best advice when diving, don't touch the coral! It funny when people say there is a current they have to hold on... rubbish you just have swim harder when your not on the bottom and if you can't do that abort the dive... don't rip off half the reef.

Exactly, there is NO excuse!

As far as the mercurichrome, I have not seen that in a long time, but we did have it when I was a kid. It had a very strong red color to it that stained things and it was a liquid and not a cream. I also remembered it burned so badly when applied to a cut, so be ready for that. I suppose the reason I have not seen it in a long time is maybe they don't sell it in the US any longer???

[Jon Shaw]

The only places I have seen it are in Indonesia... I'm sure it aint good for you and yeah it does sting like hell.

[BillGraham]

The only places I have seen it are in Indonesia... I'm sure it aint good for you and yeah it does sting like hell.

Damn, I was always covered in that stuff as a kid. Maybe that's what happened to me . . .