Health and other associated issues - Tips, Information and Guides
Dangers Of The Underwater World
by: Danielle Rose Marine life is extremely different from that of terrestrial life. The
underwater experience is like no other. Coral reefs have diversity that is only
comparable to the diversity found in the rainforest. Coral reefs house animals of every shape, size, and color. The Coral reef
has been around for an enormous number of years. Some of the reefs have been
forming for the past 25 million years. Diving to see this amazing environment is
extraordinary because of all the diversity that you can see in one area. Some of the animals you may encounter on a dive will be beautiful, but
dangerous. It is a good idea to know what sea life to watch out for.
Don’t be scared just be educated about what kind of sea life there is and
the potential danger that may arise from it. Probably, the most widely known animal a diver may encounter is the shark.
The majority of species of shark are harmless, even though many people have a
great fear of them. A diver that comes face to face with a shark does not have a
great chance of being bitten. The chance of being bitten by a shark is actually
very slight. Sharks are unpredictable creatures even though they don’t typically
attack humans. When a person is attacked, it is usually at dusk when the
visibility is poor. The shark cannot see very well and thinks the diver is a
fish or food. Eels are another animal a diver may encounter underwater. The moray eel is
the most common eel encountered in temperate waters by divers. Several species
of this eel can be up to ten feet long. Eels are nocturnal animals roaming the
waters at night and not coming out too much during the day. They typically stay
in their holes during the day. Divers that get bitten are usually those that pry
off an oyster or abalone, and then reach back into the hole to get it. The eel
mistakes the diver’s hand for food and then bites it. Electric rays may be encountered on a dive also. They are animals that
have the ability to shock you. This shock is something that a diver definitely
wants to avoid. It’s not going to kill the diver; it’s just going
to be very painful. It’s best to avoid the electric eel all together. Jellyfish are another animal to avoid. Jellyfish are free-floating in the
open sea. They drift wherever the water takes them, and can often come in
contact with divers. Depends on the species, the sting can be mild to severe.
Two forms of jellyfish should be avoided at all costs. Those are the
Portuguese-Man-of-War and the sea wasp. The Portuguese-Man-of-War’s sting
can put a diver in the hospital for a while, and the sea wasp can kill a diver
in less than either minutes. No jellyfish sting is pleasant, but these two are
by far the most dangerous. Other animals in the sea that can be potentially dangerous are the sea
urchins, mollusks, sea lions, and others. Diving in the sea can be an experience
like no other, but precautions need to be taken in it like anywhere else. Divers
should learn about their surroundings before entering the sea and be aware of
potential dangers. The only way to know what to do when encountering a
potentially dangerous animal is to educate yourself before the situation occurs.
Recommended Links
Health Index
doc thanks Jonathan Leger txt
|
![[Valid RSS]](../valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")