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SCORPIONFISH Scorpaendae

Above, Bearded Scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis barbatus, Blue Beach, North Obhur, Jeddah
Nikon F801, 60mm lens on Fuji Velvia

Masters of camouflage and having a fear of nobody, this group of fish include not only the Scorpionfish themselves but also Lionfish and the deadly Stonefish.

LIONFISH

Above, pair of Turkeyfish, Pterois volitans, Al Bilad Beach, North Obhur, Jeddah
Nikonos V, 35mm lens on Ektachrome 100

Also known under several other common names TURKEYFISH and FIREFISH, these graceful creatures can be either found hovering in mid water or near the reef or hiding in crevices.

Despite their beauty, these fish pack a punch in the form of poison which is injected through their dorsal and pectoral fins.

A colleague of mine and an aquaintance have experienced such interactions with these creatures.

CASE 1
We were diving on the Mecca Wreck off the South Corniche in Jeddah. This is a 2km walkout from the shore to the reef, and is generally regarded as an advance dive as most of the time the surf here is fairly rough. Entry is easy, exits can be hazardous due to the presence of parts of two other wrecks on the reef. The area is strewn with pieces of metal wreckage. This is not a place to have any form of diving incident.
Whilst on a wreck penetration dive my buddy Terry unknowingly brushed against a turkeyfish. He felt a sharp stab similar to a needle stick. As we were near the end of our dive we decided to head back to the reef. Once out of the surf zone, Terry was feeling rather unwell, nauseous and looked green.
Marine poisons are generally reactive at cool temperatures, the obvious thing to do is to apply heat (e.g. in the way of hot water) to the area which should break down protein. We only had cold drinks with us.
We began the long walk back to the beach, hauling our gear in the waist deep water along with a float containing spare tanks, camera equipment and cold box. By the time we reached shore (50 minute walk) Terry was feeling a lot better, the air temperature was around 35 degrees C, this may have aided in relieving his symptoms.

CASE 2
This is a case of pure stupidity. A friend of mine was out diving with somebody else who lived in our compound in Jeddah. They came across several turkeyfish and this guy stuck his hand into them waving it around. One spine went into his thumb with obvious results.
They immediately abandoned the dive and returned home, well to be precise my home, seeking help. The guy was in agony, anyway 30 minutes with his thumb in very hot water cured the problem. He was obviously a slow learner. About a month later he was walking in a lagoon without reef boots and stood on a sea urchin!

FOOTNOTE: This particular person and his wife were killed when he picked up an unexploded shell that exploded when he handled it on a beach south of Jeddah (Summer 2000)

Above, Clearfin Turkeyfish, Pterois radiata, Blue Beach, North Obhur, Jeddah

Email: aquashot@emirates.net.ae