British tourist almost dies from jellyfish sting
A British tourist enjoying his holiday in Australia was left fighting for his life after being stung by a deadly jellyfish.
James Soale, 22, and his girlfriend Savannah Callaghan, 23, were swimming at Palm Cove Beach in North Queensland on March 8 when he felt an “electric shock”.
“It felt like an electric shock. I suspected it was a jellyfish but didn’t know which one or the danger,” he told The Sun.
“I tried to walk it off before the pain got too much and I told the lifeguard, who quickly evacuated everyone from the sea.
“It was a scary time and the pain was excruciating. I’ve never had anything like that happen to me before.”
James was stung by an Irukandji jellyfish and began suffering from chest pains and struggling to breathe.
He was rushed to Cairns Hospital where medics were able to neutralise the venom but doctors still feared that he was in immediate danger.
“We arrived at the hospital and the venom had leaked to James’ heart…they feared he could go into cardiac arrest but after around 10 hours there and medicating him, he was stable.”
James was finally discharged and researched the jellyfish, finding out that he was lucky to be alive.
The Irukandji jellyfish can grow up to 2cm in diameter and are difficult to be seen by swimmers.
They’re found in tropical waters from Bundaberg in Queensland to Geraldton in Western Australia, from November to May.
Signs and symptoms to be wary of, if you think you’ve been stung by the deadly sea creature, include: severe backache or headache, shooting pains in muscles, chest and abdomen, nausea, anxiety, restlessness, vomiting and breathing difficulties.
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