Jason V. Stingray! Stingray For The Win!

If you spend any time in the ocean -- either as a surfer or a swimmer -- you probably have heard of something called the Stingray Shuffle. My first surf teacher told me all about it, about how you need to shuffle your feet in order to convince stingrays to move out of your way. Otherwise you risk getting stung. And, I was assured, getting stung is no fun. So I pretty much always shuffle my feet when I'm heading into the water. Once you can jump on your board and paddle, you generally don't have to worry about Stingrays.

Except...

When ya do!

First, a little background on these little creatures: these little suckers are cartilaginous fish, more precisely from the suborder Myliobatoidei, which derives from the order Myliobatiformes. Got that? (and thanks Wikipedia!). They are flat fish (like the skate you might dine on at a good seafood restaurant), bottom feeders that like to hang out in the shallows just beneath the sand. The key thing you need to know is that they have one (or more than one) barbed stingers on their tails. These are put to use when you accidentally come in too close contact, and when you get stung venom is released.  Here's a typical Stingray, just for your information--

Sort of freaky to see what lurks in the sea, huh?

Anyway, back to the Stingray shuffle. The other day, I headed out for a surf because conditions were nice and mellow and in my sweet spot. Of course I shuffled my way out in the shallows, then hopped on my board to paddle out to the sparse line-up.  As is my custom, I just watched the waves for a bit, just to size up what was coming and what it looked like I could handle. Along came a wave I thought I could go for, but I was a little late and missed this first one.  Then came another, and this too looked like a good one, so I paddle-paddle-paddled, caught the wave, and got up on my board.  All good so far. But my balance was off, and I toppled over. My right foot went straight down and touched sand, and right at that moment, I felt it -- like something bit me, right between my pinkie toe and the toe next to it!

The first reaction was something like this: "Ouch! What was that?"  It didn't initially feel like much but a quick nip, but when I got back on my board and looked back, there was blood. And then came the pain!! This Freakin' hurt!!  (Oddly enough, another thought passed through my head just before I noticed the blood...."Can I stay out and keep going?"  Well, once blood was involved I figured it was time to head back to the sand, and with the pain and the bleeding it seemed like a good idea to consult with the lifeguard.

Lifeguard Alex was, I have to say, awesome.  He got on his radio and before I knew it along came another lifeguard truck and then before I knew it here was a yellow bag filled with super-hot water and I was told to stick my foot in it because the hot water would 'cook' the venom and help ease the pain. You have to soak the sting for a good half-hour to forty-five minutes and Alex sat with me the whole time, and then when my foot was done soaking he bandaged up my foot! This is a good reason to always swim and surf near an open lifeguard tower if you can. If you run into trouble, these guys and ladies are the best, and I wholeheartedly thank them for helping me. Look, here I am all fixed up, and I got to keep the soaking bag!

So, in a way, I feel like I've been initiated into some club. Although I'd have preferred to have been excluded from this club, to be honest.  I had planned to check out Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken for lunch and report on it after this session, but with my still achy, bandaged foot, I figured maybe next time.  But a bit about food. I was pretty hungry when I got home, and after something like this comfort food was in order, so I made an egg and cheese on a roll and pretty much devoured it.

Next time, Gus's!!