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Blue Ring Venom

Thanks for the clairification and everyone's information
Here's a photo of the blue ring that started this thread:
When we muck dive we're sure to not touch the bottom, although when we are teaching we often have no choice (well the choice is sit on the bottom or lose the students)
 
It's getting better. He came back from the mainland yesterday. After the antibiotic shot the swelling started to come to a point which burst on the boat ride over (guess bumpy boat rides are good for something). Since it's pretty much been a continous flow of pus coming out. The swelling has come down a lot, the top layer of gross rotten looking skin that formed when it came to a point has sort of peeled away. But he's most happy about the fact he can walk, I think he was going crazy. It will be a while yet until he can dive- he's still on antibiotics that make him drowsy and it's still quite gross looking, maybe a week or two. At least it will give him time to catch up on his photo editing.
Thanks for the concern.
 
I am certainly no specialist but the rotting flesh part sounds like venom and very similar to my dog's leg after a spider bite (the vet thought brown recluse and the bite could have been fatal. There was only one hole so the alternate, a copper head or rattlesnake, was discounted. I would think your partner would know if a snake struck him.). I don't know of any underwater creatures that would induce something similar (but then again you ARE in Aus) so I would bet on a land creature and guess spider. You might Google around a bit to see what you have locally. I wish Kat (NZ) would chime in as she makes a point of phtographing spiders and can ID a lot of them.

Joints are particularly bad for any kind of poison and it may be a long time before it does not bother him. My lionfish got a knuckle and it was a full year before it was not sensitive.
 
Well it's been a week now, and looks like it'll still be a week before the wound that it has become closes up. Sorry for the slow replies work has been insanely busy. It's still steadily oozing pus, and around the ankle area is still a bit swollen. This island (Malaysia) doesn't really have much in the way of dangerous insects, the worst bites are the fire ants and the "big bum ants" (pretty sure that's not their scientific name). We've given up on figuring out what it was. He's planning for it to be painful for a while, but impatient for it to heal over so he can get back in the water and back to work.
He's had time for some photo editing though so there are a few new photos mostly of shrimp.
 
Hi Roy,

Reading with great interest. As a local (AU) and diver I have also heard of people being sick when too close to a BR but not bitten. I have also personally seen a BR on a rock approached by a fish, and the fish became drossy. Fish was roughly same size as the octopus. The BR moved to watch the fish but the fish slide down a whole beside the rock and seemed to swim off. I remember it vividly as its not something you forget. It was like the fish became drugged? As you say this is not definitive, but a nice bit of research for some marine biology student ...HAHAH
 

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