ok, i tell people over and over not to stand on the reef. we have sea urchin everywhere in hawaii. i see surfers standing on the reef all the time and i’m yelling from far away “DON’T STAND ON THE REEF!!!” but they look at me like i’m a troublemaker or something. then they do it again, and then it happens! ouch!!! itai!!!!
it’s pain! it hurts! you can’t even walk. the sharp spines go deep into your foot and it’s like getting poked with a hundred of needles all at the same time. this poor guy was on the beach in pain. nobody would help him as his friends didn’t know what to do either. they try to pull out the spines. Wrong! they try to wrap it up. Wrong!
you can’t dig it out, and you can’t just leave it there because it is alive. this poor guy had about 30 spines deep into his foot.
i always have a bottle of vinegar in my car, along with a tray so people can soak their foot in. yeah, this is probably the 10th bottle i’m going through. you can call me the Uni Specialist! haha.
i sit the guy down, i explain what i’m going to do, and i tell him that he will be fine after 30 minutes.
the guy smiles and says thank you. i say, you’re welcome.
once again, please don’t stand on the reef!!!!
