{"id":8675,"date":"2018-10-25T20:15:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-25T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/?p=8675"},"modified":"2018-10-25T20:15:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-25T20:15:00","slug":"not-so-obvious-dangerous-marine-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/not-so-obvious-dangerous-marine-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Not So Obvious Dangerous Marine Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><body><\/p>\n<p>Watch out! Dangerous Marine Animals ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Scuba diving can really be a thrilling experience like no other.  During a dive, you get to encounter and explore a whole other world, an existence beyond the surface that is completely different from life on land.  From the landscape of coral reefs, caves, and wrecks, to the abundance of wildlife, diving allows people to go where they have never gone before.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"dangerous marine animals\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg?fit=500%2C357&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Dangerous Marine Animals Ahead<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/95572727@N00\/432361985\/\">Stuck in Customs<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/compfight.com\">Compfight<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/\">cc<\/a><\/p>\n\r\n    <iframe\r\n      src=\"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/blank\/cards?location=Any+destination&sport=Any+sport\"\r\n      frameBorder=\"0\"\r\n      style=\"width: 100%; height: 500px\"\r\n    ><\/iframe>\r\n\n<p>It is no surprise that divers love to swim amongst impressive marine life, from fish to marine mammals and turtles.  One of the perks of diving is the ability to encounter life forms that you would otherwise never have the chance of getting up-close-and-personal with.  <\/p>\n<p>Yet, at the same time, there are many potentially dangerous animals that live in the sea, and it is vitally important for divers and snorkelers alike to understand the risks, to be able to recognize species that can be harmful, and to understand the need to keep their distance, not only from delicate corals, but also from potentially dangerous marine animals as well.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone knows that sharks, stingrays, and jellyfish should be avoided because they could pose a risk to human health.  But here are some of other dangerous marine animals that all divers should be aware of, even though they may not appear dangerous at first sight. <\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Stinging Anemone<\/h2>\n<p>The majority of sea anemones are harmless, but be careful of the variety that do protect themselves by giving off toxic substances that can cause severe effects on the human body.  If, while diving, you come across an anemone that looks somewhat like a fir tree, and it is blue-grey to light brown in colour, keep away from this dangerous creature.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Anemone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/anemone.jpg?fit=500%2C375&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Anemone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/8086030@N03\/4189259024\/\">Bill Bouton<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/compfight.com\">Compfight<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/2.0\/\">cc<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Sea Snakes<\/h2>\n<p>If you see a sea snake while on a dive, keep a healthy distance.  These snakes are more venomous than land snakes, although they tend to be quite docile and keep to themselves, as long as they are not provoked or bothered.  Watch where you swim, and make sure you respect their space to avoid being bitten.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Seasnake\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/seasnake.jpg?fit=450%2C350&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Seasnake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/54945394@N00\/2446228787\/\">dachalan<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/compfight.com\">Compfight<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/\">cc<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Stinging Corals<\/h2>\n<p>Sure, both hard and soft corals are incredible to look at, with beautifully vibrant coloration and interesting shapes.  But, in addition to <a href=\"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/buoyancy-control-explained\">avoiding touching them<\/a> for fear of damaging them, divers should avoid them because they could pose a health risk.  Stinging corals, in particular, can be hard to distinguish from other corals because they vary in size and shape, from large, upright sheets to branches.  However, the ones to avoid are typically a yellow-green to brown colour.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fire_coral\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/fire_coral.jpg?fit=450%2C350&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Fire Coral<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/36973264@N00\/10178309\/\">Karlplatz<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/compfight.com\">Compfight<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/2.0\/\">cc<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Hydroids<\/h2>\n<p>Divers are known for accidentally brushing up against these venomous creatures.  Though they look like harmless, feathery plants, they have strong stinging cells that can cause a lot of damage and pain.  Avoid the white, fine feathery variety, as well as the denser yellow-brown type.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Hydroid\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/hydroid.jpg?fit=450%2C350&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Hydroids<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/82825649@N00\/2036360677\/\">richard ling<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/compfight.com\">Compfight<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/\">cc<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Flower Urchin<\/h2>\n<p>This urchin is one of the most dangerous, and it has killed people who have been unfortunate enough to get stung by it.  In place of the typical long spines found on sea urchins, the flower urchin has numerous flowers that are actually venomous, causing paralysis and death.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Flower_urgin\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/flower_urgin.jpg?fit=450%2C350&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Flower Urgin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Flower_urchin_by_Vincent_C_Chen.jpg\">Photo Credit<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Crown-of-Thorns Starfish<\/h2>\n<p>Covered in intimidating thorn-like spines, this starfish is not friendly at all.  In addition to the spines being sharp, they are also covered in venom, which can cause swelling, nausea, and vomiting.  They have been known to break off and remain embedded in the victim\u2019s skin as well.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Crown_of_thorns-jonhanson\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Crown_of_Thorns-jonhanson.jpg?fit=450%2C350&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Crown of Thornes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Crown_of_Thorns-jonhanson.jpg\">Photo Credit<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Scorpionfish<\/h2>\n<p>Known as the most venomous fish in the sea, Scorpionfish also have incredible camouflaging abilities, so watch out for them amidst the rocks and sand, and watch where you place your feet and hands.  The dorsal fins are so sharp that they can pierce through a diver\u2019s shoes, and they have the venom that makes this seemingly harmless fish truly dangerous.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"scorpionfish\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/54382915_977c83f9c3_o.jpg?fit=450%2C350&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>scorpionfish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/24966179@N00\/54382915\/\">Boogies with Fish<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/compfight.com\">Compfight<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/2.0\/\">cc<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous Marine Animals: Blue-Ringed Octopus<\/h2>\n<p>While octopus species are often sought out by divers, the Blue-Ringed Octopus is one you will want to stay away from.  Its deadly venom can kill nearly 30 humans in minutes.  It may look small, colourful, and harmless, but you want to make sure you admire this one from a good distance. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Blue_ring_octo\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/blue_ring_octo.jpg?fit=450%2C350&amp;ssl=1\"><figcaption>Blue-Ringed Octopus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Photo Credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/77897125@N00\/2402205607\/\">Tom Weilenmann<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/compfight.com\">Compfight<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/2.0\/\">cc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>As a diver you are responsible to keep the reefs clean and undamaged. Make sure you keep your buoyancy at all times and do not touch feed are harras any marine life.  Dangerous marine animals are only a real threat if you come to close fro comfort <strong>&#8220;Make bubbles no troubles&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Did we mis any not so obvious marine animals?<br \/>\n<strong>Let us know in the comments below<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Enjoyed this blogpost about Dangerous Marine Animals? <a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/hQn1o\" target=\"_blank\"> Sign up <\/a> for our free newsletter! and get our scuba blogs delivered in your inbox each month.<\/p>\n<p>Feel free to check out our Scuba Dive partners on the map below for packages, training or guided trips: \r\n    <iframe\r\n      src=\"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/blank\/map?location=Any+destination&sport=Any+sport\"\r\n      frameBorder=\"0\"\r\n      style=\"width: 100%; height: 500px\"\r\n    ><\/iframe>\r\n<\/p>\n<p><p>This article is published by The Scuba Page, the online magazine for Scuba Dive lovers around the world. The Scuba Page is part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rushkult.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"> RUSHKULT <\/a>: the online booking platform for adventure sports. Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rushkult.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"> RUSHKULT <\/a> platform to book your next Scuba Dive training, guided trip and accommodation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><\/body><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch out! Dangerous Marine Animals ahead. Scuba diving can really be a thrilling experience like no other. During a dive, you get to encounter and explore a whole other world, an existence beyond the surface that is completely different from life on land. From the landscape of coral reefs, caves, and wrecks, to the abundance of wildlife, diving allows people&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":""},"categories":[79,115],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg",500,357,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger-300x214.jpg",300,214,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg",500,357,false],"large":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg",500,357,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg",500,357,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg",500,357,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg",500,357,false],"mara-post-img":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger.jpg",500,357,false],"mara-post-img-small":["https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/danger-500x300.jpg",500,300,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The Scuba Page","author_link":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/author\/admin_scuba\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Watch out! Dangerous Marine Animals ahead. Scuba diving can really be a thrilling experience like no other. During a dive, you get to encounter and explore a whole other world, an existence beyond the surface that is completely different from life on land. From the landscape of coral reefs, caves, and wrecks, to the abundance&hellip;","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8675"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8996,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8675\/revisions\/8996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8675"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rushkult.com\/eng\/scubamagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}