Diver Stung In Face By Deadly Jellyfish

eeeeeeeevil creatures

A man is in intensive care after he swam face first into a potentially lethal jellyfish off the coast of Australia.

The 29-year-old from Brisbane was wearing a protective "stinger suit" when he dived off a yacht into the water near South Molle Island off Queensland.

But his face, hands and feet were left exposed and he was immediately stung in the face by the Irukandji jellyfish, which is almost invisible to the naked eye.

The man was flown to intensive care at Mackay Base Hospital, 600 miles north of Brisbane, where a hospital spokeswoman described his condition as "serious".

"The crew said he was shivering and in shock and in a great deal of pain," added Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service spokeswoman Leonie Hansen.

While venomous jellyfish are not unusual off northern Australia during the Southern Hemisphere summer, the Irukandji is particularly fearsome and can pass through nets designed to protect swimmers.

The first recorded deaths attributed to the Irukandji were in 2002, when two people were killed by the peanut-sized creature in separate incidents.

Marine biologist Lisa Gershwin, who has spent 11 years studying the species, said the stings are extremely serious.

"One of the very worst stings I've ever seen - sting as in permanent heart damage - was just three dots on the finger."

But because they do not leave any marks on their prey, experts believe there could be many more victims.

It is feared some deaths attributed to drowning or heart attacks could actually have been caused by "Irukandji syndrome".

Symptoms from an Irukandji sting include shooting pains in the muscles and chest, vomiting, restlessness and can occasionally lead to a rapid rise in blood pressure and heart failure