lonesomexloveus Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/807498-best-job-in-the-world-brit-stung-by-deadly-jellyfish lulz. ok, maybe second best job in the world. "He won what was billed as 'the best job in the world' - but paradise island caretaker Ben Southall has discovered there's a downside to even that, after being stung by a potentially lethal jellyfish. Southall, who won a worldwide contest to find someone who would blog for six months about life on Australia's Hamilton Island to promote tourism, said he was lucky to have survived the encounter with the tiny but highly venomous Irukandji jellyfish. Southall was finishing a 'post Christmas jetski session' with friends when he felt 'a small bee-like sting' on his arm. But that sting quickly developed into a tingling in his hands and feet, causing island staff to rush him to a doctor. His symptoms progressed to include fever, headache, lower back pain, chest tightness and high blood pressure - leading the doctor to diagnose that Southall had been stung by an Irukandji jellyfish. The mysterious Irukandjii only the size of a peanut, making it virtually impossible to spot in the water, and small enough to pass through nets meant to keep jellyfish away from popular swimming spots. Its sting can lead to symptoms including shooting pains in the muscles and chest, vomiting, restlessness, anxiety and - in the worst cases - a rapid rise in blood pressure and heart failure. In 2002, two tourists were killed in separate incidents after being stung by the tiny creatures off northeast Australia - the first recorded Irukandji fatalities. Southall, whose time as the island's caretaker is almost over, got off relatively lightly - he was given pain medication, and slept off the venom's effects overnight. 'I thought I'd done particularly well at avoiding any contact with any of the dangerous critters that consider this part of the world their home,' Southall wrote on the blog he keeps as part of his job. 'This was not what I'd wanted at all and had caught me little off guard to say the least - I'm supposed to be relaxing in my last few days on Hamilton Island.' 'I really should have been wearing a full stinger suit, as it recommended at all beaches here at this time of year,' he added. The 34-year-old former charity worker bested nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment that started in July to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef while writing a blog to promote the area and earning a salary of AUS$150,000 (around £84,000). " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentgods Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 doesn't Australia have something like 65 percent of the worlds most poisonous animals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjustinxschwierx Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 LOL... image: it's huge... http://de.academic.ru/pictures/dewiki/73/Irukandji-jellyfish-queensland-australia.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynamitekid Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 good lord. I am never going to australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eriathomas Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I watched a show on those Irukanji jellyfish, and that shit is crazy how something so tiny is so deadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest naytoid Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Yeah, fuck this country and it's poisonous animals and shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourfourtwo Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 good lord. I am never going to australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlrose Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Oh sweet irony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmythescumbag Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Oh sweet irony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokithelion Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 LOL...image: it's huge... http://de.academic.ru/pictures/dewiki/73/Irukandji-jellyfish-queensland-australia.jpg Thank you so much man! This is my new desktop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjustinxschwierx Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 LOL...image: it's huge... http://de.academic.ru/pictures/dewiki/73/Irukandji-jellyfish-queensland-australia.jpg Thank you so much man! This is my new desktop! ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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