Australian Surfer Hospitalized After Box Jellyfish Sting in Fiji

An Australian surfer was hospitalized in Fiji last week after a severe sting from a box jellyfish while riding waves at the renowned Cloudbreak reef break in the Mamanuca Islands.

Guy Rowles, a Sydney resident, was on the first day of a surf trip with his father when the incident occurred about 4 kilometers off Namotu Island. Surfing at the world-class spot near Sujees Surf Stay, Rowles felt a sudden, intense pain on his arm. "All of a sudden something hectic stung my arm. It felt like someone had just poured burning hot oil on me," he told Stab magazine. He rolled off his board, tore away the jellyfish's tentacles, and was pulled onto a nearby boat, where he began convulsing, experiencing chest tightness, vomiting, and tingling sensations throughout his body.

As the pain intensified, Rowles turned to his father in panic. "F Dad, am I going to die? I was shaking, vomiting, couldn't really feel my legs. Tingles everywhere," he recounted. Before being rushed to a hospital in Nadi, more than an hour away by boat and vehicle, he phoned his mother to express his love, fearing the worst. Crew members assisted him across the coral shore and offered prayers during the chaotic transfer.