Man shares secret to surviving box jellyfish stings, claims he was stung thousands of times

THERE’S a secret to surviving the poisonous sting of deadly box jellyfish, a Darwin man who claims to have been stung thousands of times says.

THERE’S a secret to surviving the poisonous sting of a deadly box jellyfish, a Darwin man who claims to have been stung thousands of times says.

Larrakia’s Rodney Brown, 59, said the key to survival was to stay in the water and “wash the tentacles off” before ­running from the ocean to find vinegar.

Mr Brown said he had been stung between 2000 and 3000 times by box jellyfish.

“When I was a kid, we used to chuck them on each other and have box jellyfish fights,” Mr Brown said.

“I’ve been stung thousands of times when throw-netting.

“But you don’t leave the water quickly while it’s on you, go to shallow water, kneel and wash it, brush it off in the water and within 20 minutes you can be eating at Hungry Jacks.

“A lot of people run out of the water because it’s very painful, but that’s a big mistake, that’s when you start scarring and getting sick.”

The Department of Health recommends staying out of the water to avoid getting stung.

It says immediate first aid is vital and cardiopulmonary resuscitation may be needed in the event of a sting.

The department urges witnesses to remove the person from the water, dial 000, commence CPR if necessary and douse the sting area with vinegar to neutralise invisible stinging organelles.

But new research from Queensland’s James Cook University suggests up to 60 per cent more venom is discharged into the victim when vinegar is administered to the stung area.

The findings have prompted calls for Australian Resuscitation Council to revise their sting treatment guidelines.

Stinger season in the NT is officially from October to May.