Best way to deal with sea urchin spikes?

[imperio59]

Hey,
I surf a reef break where often the reef is a mere foot or two under the surface of the water and almost every time I go I get a sea urchin spike planted in some part of my body (feet several times, fingers when paddling back out and I accidentally hit the reef below...)

The spikes break if you grip them too hard and most of the time they break at the limit of your skin and plant themselves deeper without offering a way to grab them. So far I've had to use scissors (disinfected first of course) to cut up the hard skin (doesn't hurt) to get deeper and be able to grab the spikes away. This works 80% of the time but it's tedious and annoying and the other 20% of the time the spikes are in too deep and they stay for a few days (up to a month) until they get closer to the surface and I can use the above method to extract them.

I should probably wear shoes/diving socks to surf that spot but no one else seems to be doing it and as I get better and fall off less I also end up in the middle of the reef a lot less and I don't end up touching the reef as much, so I guess eventually I will stop getting spiked altogether, save for the rare occurence...

So does anyone have any miracle cure for taking out these nasty little spikes?

[Ged]

Try to avoid touching the reef. The main reason is to not destroy fragile corals.

[isaluteyou]

ya i got spiked really bad and had to leave em for a couple of weeks to get pushed to the surface. Not sure if there is an answer as it only happened to me one time.

[Real Pol]

Piss on it!
Stand on anything sore underwater and you must piss on it. Fact!
Trust me I'm a Marine Biologist.

[imperio59]

Haha, I've read/seen several things on the supposed miracle "piss cures" for anything from jellyfish stings to other kinds of rashes and it's about as effective as water from what they said.

As for the comment from Ged, I think the reef has destroyed more of me than I've destroyed it, including my brand new NSP plastic fins (thank god they're not fiberglass or I'd freak) which looks like someone took a pocket knife and carved sharp lines to the side of them.

Until I learn how to consistently stand up I'm not changing them

[drowningbitbybit]

Try to avoid touching the reef. The main reason is to not destroy fragile corals.

'Reef' in this instance meaning 'large slab of rock covered in sea urchins' and not 'picturesque corals'
Coral reefs dont tend to sit in the middle of the impact zone... unlike sea urchins

[Ged]

Try to avoid touching the reef. The main reason is to not destroy fragile corals.

'Reef' in this instance meaning 'large slab of rock covered in sea urchins' and not 'picturesque corals'
Coral reefs dont tend to sit in the middle of the impact zone... unlike sea urchins

I not being mean here, it probarbly is just a slab of rock but you should at least think about it and as I say "try" to avoid touching the reef. Dragging your leash through a load of fan corals isnt going to do them much good and they take ages to grow. Where I'v done most of my surfing this is a real issue as are sea urchins.

[drowningbitbybit]

I not being mean here, it probarbly is just a slab of rock but you should at least think about it and as I say "try" to avoid touching the reef. Dragging your leash through a load of fan corals isnt going to do them much good and they take ages to grow. Where I'v done most of my surfing this is a real issue as are sea urchins.

...And dont walk across grass I suppose?

A large lump of rock with some seaweed and some sea urchins on it, that gets battered by heavy lips detonating right on it, really wont be hurt by the odd surfer's foot (quite the reverse in fact).

If you're surfing where there are fan corals, then you really need to consider where you're surfing

[Beachbum]

You just have to wait, or avoid them. I had a thick sea urchin spine stuck in my foot for about 3 weeks. I dug at the dead skin pushing it to the surface, and it fell out- perfectly intact lol.

[Ged]

Do you get coral in Aus then? Are
u actually allowed to surf the GBR?

[Real Pol]

Do you get coral in Aus then? Are
u actually allowed to surf the GBR?

I take it I'm missing some sarcastic undertone to those questions.

[Ged]

Do you get coral in Aus then? Are
u actually allowed to surf the GBR?

I take it I'm missing some sarcastic undertone to those questions.

Seriously my feeling is that surfing is going the same way as climbing. Humongous loads of inconsiderate motherF*** who seriously miss the point in their competitivness. "Look at me, Im the most important thing."

[drowningbitbybit]

Seriously my feeling is that surfing is going the same way as climbing. Humongous loads of inconsiderate motherF*** who seriously miss the point in their competitivness. "Look at me, Im the most important thing."

[Ged]

Seriously my feeling is that surfing is going the same way as climbing. Humongous loads of inconsiderate motherF*** who seriously miss the point in their competitivness. "Look at me, Im the most important thing."

Errr werent you telling us about the reefs you surf?

[drowningbitbybit]

Errr werent you telling us about the reefs you surf?

Yes, because I understand what a reef is.

[Ged]

Errr werent you telling us about the reefs you surf?

Yes, because I understand what a reef/sandbar is.

[esonscar]

Piss on it!
Stand on anything sore underwater and you must piss on it. Fact!
Trust me I'm a Marine Biologist.

Pee on someone where I come and they will piss on you back !

Ha - I just have this image of Marine Biologists weeing on each other now. Sounds a fun course practical !

[IB_Surfer]

Stepped on coral while surfing in Mazatlan, you are supposed to get an xray just in case any large broken pieces are in you, but other than that you just limp around for a month and then it goes away.

[Aloha]

Stepped on coral while surfing in Mazatlan, you are supposed to get an xray just in case any large broken pieces are in you, but other than that you just limp around for a month and then it goes away.

Lime juice or Hydrogen peroxide and a nail brush to scrub the wound. That's what we use when treating coral reef cuts. Hurts like hell but gets all the coral out or it'll grow in you.

[lorcan]

Stepped on coral while surfing in Mazatlan, you are supposed to get an xray just in case any large broken pieces are in you, but other than that you just limp around for a month and then it goes away.

Lime juice or Hydrogen peroxide and a nail brush to scrub the wound. That's what we use when treating coral reef cuts. Hurts like hell but gets all the coral out or it'll grow in you.

That is what i do as well,the pain is immense when i do it.