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The Irukandji Jellyfish is really tiny but fatally venomous - it is just one cubic centimeter. It is found in the marine waters around Australia. The symptoms are known as the Irukandji Syndrome. There are two kinds of Irukandji Jellyfish - Malo Kingi and Carukia Barnesi. Hugo Flecker first documented the symptoms of the Irukandji Syndrome in 1952 - named after the Irukandji folk who inhabited the coastal strip tat lies north of Cairns in Queensland. Carukia Barnesi was the first species to be identified by Dr. Jack Barnes in 1964. Dr. Barnes, wanting to prove that this jellyfish had caused these symptoms, got himself to be stung by it, along with his son and a life guard.

The Irukandji Jellyfish has four tentacles that can range from a few centimeters in length to around 35 centimeters. The stingers are grouped in clumps and look like rings made up of small red dots around the bell of the jellyfish, and also along the tentacles. Since the Irukandji Jellyfish is too tiny and fragile to handle and contain, very little research has been done. However, it is known that its venom is a hundred times more potent than that of a cobra, and a thousand times as much as that of a tarantula. What ever research has been done, has confirmed that the potency of its venom allows it to stun its prey (like fast and small fish) very fast.

The Irukandji is cover in millions of microscopic singers, responsible for the venom release. To understand how these stingers work, you can imagine a long inside out sock, coiled along the lines of a spring. Someone unlucky enough to come in contact with the Jellyfish by touch will cause an uncoiling of the spring latching the stingers into the skin like barbs. When the victim pulls away the stingers are ripped from the Jellyfish’s body and remain embedded in the victim. The Irukandji has the unique ability to ‘fire’ the stingers from it’s tips and inject the venom, a unique phenomenon.

Burning on the area of contact, drop in blood pressure and heart rate, sweating, severe and intensely pain muscle cramps in the arms, legs, back and kidneys are some of the Symptoms of Irukandji Syndrome, a very painful and unpleasant experience. Ocean explorers beware, the Irukandji Jellyfish!

An individual recently stung by the Irukandji will notice symptoms within 4 - 30 hours which may take up to 2 weeks to completely be resolved. Pain management is the only treatment for the Irukandji sting as there is no known anti-venom. Patients have been known to experience pain so intensely that they beg the doctor for death. The best way to avoid the sting is to avoid the Jellyfish. Be mindful of the conditions, seasons and areas you are swimming or diving. Divers beware, the Irukandji Jellyfish!

Want to learn more about the Irukandji Jellyfish, including how to deal with a Jellyfish Sting? Check out JellyfishFacts.Net for all you need to know about Jellyfish.

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A good start for a diving trip is getting to the venue, be it a dive shop or dive boat on time or better early. Getting there early allows you time to sign in, pay for services and time to get the right equipment if you are hiring them. If it is also better to be early then late, you don’t want to be disappointed or keep other divers waiting for you.

Before you board the dive boat it is worth checking you at the right equipment. Ensure all your equipment is present and if you are hiring it then check you have the right size and the correct weights for you. Once you are on the boat there isn’t much chance of changing your equipment so make sure your check thoroughly before hand to avoid disappointment.

You should also store your equipment in the bag, not only does it protect you from mislaying any of your equipment but it is also it saves space on the boat as they are usually fairly small and can be crowded. There is a large range of Scuba Diving bags you can get, many are designed to be easy to carry, waterproof, padded for protection and have many pockets for smaller bits of equipment.

In the dive boat they usually have a selection of cleaning and rinse buckets, which should be assigned to specific items of equipment for example a bucket for mask rinsing only. Always respect the rules regarding what item is assigned to what bucket it is courteous of others and their equipment. If you are unsure of what buckets are assigned to what equipment always ask.

Many divers think it is best to get ready in advance; some divers even put on their wetsuits and assemble their equipment before even getting on the boat. If you are a regular diver then doing this is fine and you know yourself what to look out for and what may be missing. If you are not familiar with the kit then wait until the organizers let you know when they are ready to fit your kit with you.

No matter how many times you have dived before, it is important to always listen carefully to the briefing of the dive. They will provide adequate safety tips, and should also mention all the difficult circumstances you may encounter such as strong currents. Briefings will generally be different for each dive, so listen to what is said and take the advice, not only for your own safety, but for the whole team.

Other things to think about are bringing a camera, money if you want to tip the organizers, a dry bag, sunscreen and any other requirements. You will be surprised how often people return from dives sun burnt even if you are in and out of water, it is worth re-applying a good waterproof cream between dives or when you can.

If you want any more advice or information about diving, check out Phi Phi adventure,as well as information you can find out about day trips, and various other water sports and activities on their website, you can also browse a huge range of images and videos of diving. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

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Scuba diving accidents are not myths and are very real, in fact no attempt should be made in order to cover up the danger and risks of diving related accidents as the public should be well aware of it. As enjoyable as diving is, one must also take the proper precaution and steps to minimize this form of recreational sport from becoming a dangerous one.

Even though it is a dangerous sports, it should not be a barrier for you from picking up this hobby, because it is indeed one of the most relaxing form of hobbies you can pick up and many have done so without meeting an accident. When you think about it, the risk is much less than motor racing, and yet you can find a huge following of crowd who enjoys motor racing. The trick is to learn how to scuba dive in a safe manner.

If you have wondered as to why diving accidents happened, then the answer you seek lies in the training of divers who are either not following standard practiced or do not know how to operate each equipment appropriately. If you are looking to start, you should start on the right foot by enlisting in training organized by the licensed PADI diving institute, currently many diving places will recognize them as being the official training institute.

If you have graduated from PADI and have not gone diving for a while, it is also advisable to undergo refresher course, especially if it had been a year since you last dived. Refresher course can refresh your memory as well as the proper steps in the case of an accident, which can save you life! Diving vacations are meant to be fun and safe, and one of the most important thing about diving is always to dive comfortably, if diving has become somewhat painful and uncomfortable for you, perhaps you should stop for a while and look at what is causing you to feel that way.

Another important safety aspect to bear in mind always understands your limit and respect the underwater environment. Many things will go wrong when you have confidence the size of the ocean! That means if you get too confident, then things will bound to go wrong, as such you want to always keep your confidence in check, as well as paying attention to your immediate environment when diving. This way you will be able to react quickly which might save your life when situation warrants.

Ultimately, always get a dive buddy because it is safer to have someone who knows where you are and one that will watch your back and give you a helping hand. What fun is diving if nobody shares the same thrilling experience with you!

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Have you ever considered an exclusive occupation? If you have, then you may have a lot of different occupations in mind. If you enjoy scuba diving, then you may be asking yourself what sort of occupation you can get from scuba diving aside from being a dive master. Apart from just being able to explore the ocean, you will see that there are careers that entail deep sea diving.

There are a lot of occupations that entail deep sea diving. One such occupation is that of being a commercial diver. This kind of diving requires a lot of bravery and stringent qualifications.

Deep sea divers are implicated in a lot of sorts of work. One is salvage work on sunken ships, while others include the decontaminating of the hulls of ships. Deep sea divers are also needed on deep sea oil rigs to weld pipes underwater as well as clean steel.

There is a wide range of projects that require commercial divers. However, training is very thorough as you will have to handle dangerous materials undersea, such as high explosives and you will be in dangerous conditions too. In this regard, commercial divers are different from typical recreational divers, because they are well-trained in all aspects of diving safety to the point that everything they do undersea should be just right.

So, how does one become a commercial diver? First of all, you must recollect that commercial diving is different from recreational diving. Having an open water qualification is just not enough for you to become a qualified commercial diver. You still have to go to train for this type of employment.

In commercial diving school, you will be taught all about dive tables and how to use them. You will also be taught about underwater welding and how to handle high explosives underwater. Safety is the most important aspect of commercial diving.

You will also be taught undersea communications and emergency safety procedures in case something goes wrong. In commercial diving, you will also learn about the dangers of working underwater, especially in deep diving, where nitrogen narcosis is quite common. You will also learn about the symptoms of nitrogen sickness or bends and how to become aware of it if a fellow diver is suffering from nitrogen narcosis.

You will also be taught about the different air mixes necessary to diving, such as air, nitrox, and trimix. This is important as you will be breathing it underwater. Breathing the wrong mix when you go deep sea diving can be fatal.

Commercial diving is a promising career that is full of adventure. The pay is one of the best in the world and you will also be able to use hi-tech scuba diving equipment, such as rebreathers, state-of-the-art underwater scooters, underwater radio communications, as well as hi-tech industrial tools.

Deep sea diving careers, such as commercial diving is a gratifying career. If you have the gumption for it and you want a occupation that is full of adventure, then commercial diving is for you. Just remember that in deep sea diving, safety must always come first. Remember these things and you can be sure that you will be able to have a wonderful and gratifying career as a commercial diver.

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Scuba Diving Computers -

Dangers of Diving

Diving has exposed the public to the many underwater wonders of the world. The beauty of the various kinds of life that is in the deep blue hides the biggest danger of diving. It isn’t sharks or boats or anything else that may exist on or in the water. The real danger to divers is Caisson disease, or decompression sickness.

Also known as the bends, the disease can afflict anyone who goes from a high pressure to low pressure environment. The illness results from Henry’s law, which says in short that when the pressure goes down, gas will form bubbles in a fluid. In the case of the bends, the fluid is the blood and the gas is typically nitrogen.

When the process occurs slowly, such as in an airplane cabin, the lungs can remove the gas before bubbles form. When it occurs quickly, such as a diver coming up too fast, it can result in itching skin and rashes, pain in the joints, paralysis and potentially death.

Prevention of Bends

Preventing the bends requires the diver to ascend slowly, allowing the gas to naturally de-gas. The number of variables to consider when calculating the time needed for slow surfacing makes it very difficult to determine. That is why the dive computer was invented. With its specialized timers and sensors, it can determine how deep the diver is and how long the diver was at that depth. A diving computer conducts its calculations in real time and determines how much time the diver needs to spend at a particular level to surface safely and prevent the bends.

Just about every brand and model of dive computer possesses the capability to sense the time that a diver has been at different depths. From this data, the dive computer can calculate the divers blood gas levels and give the diver a time interval within which the diver can resurface safely and not worry about the bends. It provides all the necessary information for a safe dive, such as surface time intervals, maximum dive depth, water temperatures and so on.

The Diver Interface

Many forms of divers computer will have visual displays, which should be clearly read and visible while diving. The display of the dive computer should be uncluttered, so the diver does not experience information overload. In addition to the above information, better models of diving computers will display information such as the temperature of the water, the required decompression time at each depth and how fast the diver is rising. Many higher end models will transmit the entire dive to a computer for later analysis.

Certain defining features can really set a dive computer ahead of the pack. By the time a diver has surfaced, high end dive watches will display the time before a diver can board an airplane. One of the quickest ways to get the bends is to board an airplane too soon. High end models are also able to keep track of the air supply in the scuba tanks.

When it comes to shopping for a dive computer, the consumer should identify how much information is provided on the display and if the display is clear and readable. They should also see what other features there are and what is being kept track of in terms of diving quantities. An excellent example of a quality diving computer would be the Suunto D9.

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