Stingrays send hundreds to the Hilton Head ER each summer. Here’s how to avoid injury
Enjoy spending time in the surf off of Hilton Head Island’s famed beaches? A day at the beach won’t be as fun if it ends in the hospital.
While enjoying time on the beach, playing in the shallow surf or walking through the rolling tides, many generally don’t think about what could be lurking in just a few inches of water, like stingrays, which can injure hundreds of people in the area each year, physicians say. Without taking the proper precautions, a family member could be on his or her way to the hospital with a stingray injury even after walking in just ankle-deep water.
It’s possible to have an injury-free day at the beach. Being informed about stingrays can help prevent unnecessary injuries.
Here’s what to know about stingrays along Hilton Head Island.
Stingrays around Hilton Head Island
Stingray injuries peak from mid-May to late-June. The emergency room typically treats more than 200 patients a year, Dr. Robert Clodfelter, medical director of the Hilton Head Hospital ER, previously told The Island Packet.
This year, by mid-April, stingrays have already been plentifully spotted along Hilton Head Island’s beaches.
There are many different species of stingrays that can be found around Hilton Head Island beaches. They may be seen swimming in the shallows of the surf or reeled in by local fishermen from the surrounding waters. These species include: southern stingray, roughtail stingray, spotted eagle, smooth butterfly, cownose, bullnose ,and Atlantic rays.
Stingray tails are equipped with one to three barbed, venomous spinal blades that release toxins. These toxins cause severe pain when injected into a victim. This can occur when an individual is impaled by a barb when the stingray acts to defend itself.
How to prevent a stingray injury
The good news is, stingrays won’t ‘attack’ unless they feel threatened. Unfortunately, in regard to beachgoers, this is generally when a stingray accidentally gets stepped on. To avoid stepping on a stingray when in the water, no matter how shallow, shuffling or dragging your feet through the sand rather than lifting your feet up by walking normally is the most effective way to prevent this. This shuffle, commonly referred to as the “stingray shuffle,” will warn a nearby stingray of any approach. It will likely be scared off and swim away.
Wearing water shoes can double the protection against being accidentally barbed or even stepping on unknown objects in the ocean, which can cause plenty of injuries as well.
What to do if you get injured by a stingray
When a stingray decides to act, the puncture wound is often deep and considered dirty. This means there is a high risk of infection.
It’s important to wash and disinfect the area immediately. Try to obtain a tetanus vaccine or booster if needed. General treatment for the pain from the released toxins is immersing the wound in hot water. The hot water neutralizes the effect of toxins from the stingray. The wound should be inspected for any remaining spines. Medical evaluation and treatment from a hospital is necessary if there are any remaining spines in the wound, if the puncture is deep or if it involves the chest, abdomen or neck areas, according to the National Capital Poison Center.
Individuals are urged not to remove pieces of a stingray’s spine from a victim’s chest, abdomen, or neck, according to WebMD.
Seeking guidance from a local hospital is recommended as complications such as infection, serious bleeding or physical trauma can occur. Antibiotics may also be administered. Additionally, the situation may require medical intervention to remove any embedded pieces.
According to the National Capital Poison Center, death is extremely rare and does not result from the venom. Cases of death, however, have been reported from puncture wounds to the chest, abdomen, or neck and death from serious infections like tetanus have also been reported.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
