going to port hedland this weekend...

what sea creatures can really hurt or kill me APART from the sharks in port hedland?

Stonefish..........aparently there are some there. I lived and kited there for 12 months. I used to wear booties or avoid walking around in the shallows.

You will probably see a sea snake or two as well.

Worth taking gear there anyway. The spoil bank is pretty good fun and kiteable on most wind directions

I hate snakes!

Would you wear the tootoo that goes with those pants? I hear sea creatures are scared of those.

1st point of business:
know where the closest hospital is,
and how you are going to get there IF anything happens.

Stingrays are on the hunt for man flesh, stay on your board to deflect their attacks...

lycra pants and rashie will do for most of the jelly nasties.

Stonefish are also at the beach I saw one once kicking back with an esky and the radio going.
No seriously they are also at found at the beach. The stonefish has a venomous spike above/ behind its head usually stung by stepping on them.

Blue ringed octopi will not hunt you down they are usually pretty small and are found more in rock pools etc.... Just dont handle them. Ps They are normally brown the blue rings only become apparrent when they feel threatened. Aviod handling any octopus and you will be fine.

The box jellyfish / sea wasp I dont believe is found in that area more in North Queensland.

Sea snakes are extremely venomous but are un agresssive ( unless provoked ) very low chance of being bitten.

Sea snake - If bitten require hospital asap
Box Jelly - If stung require hospital asap
Blue Ring - If bitten most likely require hospital
Stonefish - If stung will require hospital.

The chances of being bitten/stung by any of the above are reasonably minimal as long as you dont go turning over rocks, walking through rock pools in barefeet or go prodding at any of these creatures.

Booties would probably be a safe option, but I like you cannot stand wearing them when kiting or surfing. Although a stonfish spine can go through a bootie anyway depending on how much weight is applied.

Just be sensible and you will be fine.

Dont worry the hospital is directly in from the spoil bank, only 200-300m away. Reckon you could body drag directly into emergency if you had to.

If you can catch Barramundi you can dodge Crocodiles!!!!!!.

Have a good time, and just kitesurf, don't look for "creatures", and they will not bother you.
Cheers

Lycra keeps the boxies away, (it only needs to be a thin layer - stockings can even do - to the nematocysts in the tentacles, you just seem like a piece of inorganic material and they don't fire.) Douse in vinegar and don't rub if stung. Body drag to hospital.

Very hot water works for stingray and stonefish stings (I think the proteins in it coagulate at a reasonably high temperature - a bit like egg white) Compression bandage wrapped along the limb away from the heart, relax, body drag to hospital.

Don't know if Boxies get around to Port Headland, but here the researchers have found that at about 3pm they swim to the ocean floor and have a nap, but they sleep lightly and any vibrations generally wakes them up. At about 6pm, they wake up and continue on their merry way being mysterious.

Just don't land on one with your ass and get stung you'll be walking around with a hemroid cushion for weeks

The Blue Ring Octupuss has been known to leap 6 m out of the water!

They go straight for the throat,latch on,and bite deep with nasty,nasty teeth !!
The horrendous,agonising pain does not last long as Death usually results in 5 mins !![}:)]

ok you all win you have frightened me to death now...
im going to be tough though lol
my kites are packed yay

i dont think id be half as frightened if someone else was out there kiting too but im pretty sure i can do it
i wouldnt have a clue what the wind is doing it kind of looks like it is going to be great everywhere else but where im going!

will let you all know if i survive it...

one more thing... should i actually be more afraid of the sharks than the other things that have been mentioned? i survived the sharks in shark bay so i feel like i can survive all sharks lol

If you go out on the "TOWN" at night don't forget youre kite and harness.



Just in case you might have to.



BODY DRAG TO HOSPITAL.

Yeah sorry nonikkers,

I was also told about the sea snakes but forgot to mention them. Sea snakes are actually the most venemous snakes in the world, far deadlier than the Taipan and king browns. One tiny bit would definately be fatal. Good news is they have tiny mouths and the fangs are actually towards the back of their jaw not on the front like a land based snake, so it is impossible to bit you anywhere but the webbing between your fingers on your hands.

Blue Ringed Occies are a real bastard and are quite tiny. I used to see a few in Botany Bay. One actually attached itself to the underside of my board one time whilst I left it in the shallows and went to land my kite. I picked up the board and it looked like a limpid until inspected more closely.

BR Occies are usually smaller than 5cm in diameter with legs outstretched and are a mottled darkish brown. They grow their electric blue rings when pissed off. They normally hang out in rock pools and under shells and stuff around the edge of the water. My ex wife picked up a large shell from the bottom whilst beach combing and it had a BR Occie under it. It was a miracle she wasn't bitten. They have a sharp single beak in the middle underneath so dont let em latch onto you or your screwed without hospitalisation.

Port Hedland sounds like a hoot, what with Large Tiger Sharks, Blue Ringed Occies, Stonefish, Stinging jellies, crocs and sea snakes. Fark! All of which can jump 6m and go for the throat

Perth sounds good, wind or no wind!

Good winds to you, you'll be right, just harden the f@#k up!