I was finishing up my dive at the aquarium and waving goodbye to the crowd. I must have spooked a big rockfish. He stuck me with three dorsal spines right thru my kevlar glove in the right hand. Rockfish are slighty poisonious and have venom glands that inject the poison. It was a big guy that got me around two feet long. The spine stuck me in the meaty base of the thumb. Nothing exciting to see, looks like a bee sting but if you have ever stuck yourself with a small philips screwdriver you get the idea. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It hurts <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" /> The first aid was to hold my hand under scalding hot water for as long as I could bear. The heat neutralizes the venom somewhat. I feel a little feverish. My hands were pretty numb from the cold water so when it warmed up under the hot water the pain hit me. I'm good after taking motrin. Overall I would rate it around the same pain level as a yellowjacket sting combined with sticking yourself with a screwdriver. Then achy fever after effects.

And yes I'm covered under workmans compensation if anything bad happens <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/living_species/default.asp?hOri=1&inhab=167

Did you marinate or blacken that ba$tard?

Could the audience tell anything happened?

Did you swear over the PA in front of 400 children (and their parents)?

Did you even realize it had happened when it did?

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Two of my kids would love to do your job <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

>>>*My Nephew had the job of feeding the fish for the tourists at the Newport Aquarium here in Oregon. That had to be 20 years ago.

He had a couple of incidents, one with a big eel that sometimes would take food out of his hand and sometimes tried to take his hand off the food. He had pretty heavy gloves but it's teeth went right through those, all he could do was relax and hold still, then it would let go.

The other one was with a big Black Rockfish, the thing managed to spear him in the forearm. He was sick as a Dog for nearly two weeks.

I suggest you go see the Doctor, and don't delay....*EB

Man, I was wondering how a rockfish could do that, then I saw the link to that little doinker fish and realized that ain't no rockfish. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" />

THIS is a Rockfish and if one swam up to me he'd be on the grill in no time.

I had a sheephead blind side bite me a few times during the show and I've grunted a few things like ouch and yikes. I had a old lady try to kiss me thru the glass <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drunk.gif" alt="" />

That's no way to find Nemo.

Thats a rockfish <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My wife and I each got new phones with cameras. She hasn't got the autofocus figured out yet.