Pam Bennett, an experienced snorkeler, never expected a painful encounter with a stingray. She had the day off and was visiting Treasure Cove on South Australia’s southern Yorke Peninsula. We were a little worried when a 16-centimetre stingray barb punctured her forearm. This unfortunate injury prompted a full emergency medical response and immediate follow on treatment.
Bennett was on a snorkeling tour led by marine biologist Dr. Mike Bossley just prior to the injury suffered in this case. Other snorkelers jumped into action and soon carried her to shore. There she was treated for her seriously bleeding gunshot wound. She was then transported to Yorketown Hospital before being airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for more surgical intervention.
Medical Response and Recovery
The microsurgical procedure undertaken at the Royal Adelaide Hospital was able to successfully remove the stingray barb from Bennett’s arm. Even though the whole experience was traumatizing, she had an incredible level of calmness during the entire process.
“We had to get Pam out of the water, she was bleeding quite heavily, but she’s a very brave woman and didn’t panic or anything,” – Mike Bossley
Bennett characterized the discomfort as “excruciating.” She said it was like what she would think a dog bite would be, without ever having had a dog bite. When she looked at the X-ray results, she was shocked by what she found. The pictures revealed the barb’s path perilously close to vital regions of her arm.
“I was absolutely astounded by the x-ray. It showed a dagger going in at my elbow and coming out almost under my arm,” – Pam Bennett
Luckily, the barb just missed her brachial artery and she was saved from more serious ramifications. Though Bennett still has the stingray barb as a “trophy,” she plans to only use it to tell the story of her unusual encounter with nature.
Environmental Concerns at Treasure Cove
Dr. Bossley, who used to teach high school science, accompanied Bennett on the snorkeling trip. During the event, he offered dire warnings for the future of aquatic life in the region. He reported observing “dead fish and dead rays and dead cuttlefish” at Treasure Cove. The concerning development seems to have struck the state as a multi-species toxic microalgae bloom, which has devastated the coast of South Australia’s marine biodiversity.
“It appears that the bloom of the microalgae… is part of the picture, but exactly how that’s affecting the sharks and rays I think is not quite clear yet,” – Mike Bossley
In recent months, marine animal mortality has taken a dangerous turn. Significantly, an Australian sea lion was killed on an Adelaide motorway and a dwarf sperm whale carcass was located washed up at West Beach. In further shark news, a dead tiger shark was found at Henley Beach South, and a second white shark stranded at Ardrossan.
Dr. Bossley went back to Treasure Cove because of these alarming findings and called the new underwater environment a “wasteland.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this — it’s a wasteland out there. It’s scary,” – Mike Bossley
What’s going on right now Outwardly, the environment is dramatically different than a typical year, with water temperatures around 2.5 degrees above average and generally placid marine conditions.
Reflections on Nature and Safety
In looking back on her experience, Pam Bennett recognized the unpredictability of the stingray’s action. But she noted that typically, stingrays are “beautiful, shy, placid creatures.” After all, it’s this experience that had the marine ecologist thinking about how climate change might affect the ocean’s ecosystems.
“It makes me feel like I’ve had a window into the future of what’s going to happen to our oceans with climate change and it’s very depressing,” – Pam Bennett
Bennett expressed relief that her experience did not result in a more severe injury, saying, “In hindsight, I feel like I’ve won the lottery because I’m amazed it was me and not a young child.” Her encounter serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of wildlife interactions and raises questions about the ongoing health of marine environments.
