sea danger

Any dangerous sea creatures ??sharks? snake, shell. fish what to look out for when you
snorkeling?i heard the stonefish is deadly how to avoid them?
Thank you

There are no sea snakes in the Cook Islands.
There are sharks outside the lagoons in deep water. None to worry about inside the lagoons. And even outside they aren't much of a worry. There's too many fish for them to eat.
Stonefish are not deadly, you just wish you were dead. The poison is a neurotoxin and is very painful. The best thing is to wear shoes with heavy soles bottom and sides. Stonefish will not attack you. The sting is purely defensive when you step on them or put your hand on them. If you shuffle your feet when you walk in the water, you will kick one if it's there and it will swim away. If you do get stung, get it treated right away otherwise it has the potential to be deadly.
There is a deadly mollusk - the cone shell. They come in different sizes and colors but are always shaped like a cone. They have a stinger that they can extend and go completely over the shell so even if you pick one up from the back they can still get you. Don't pick one up. If you see a coneshell on the beach it will be safe as the mollusk will be dead and there will probably be a hermit crab in the shell.
There are eels which can give you a nasty bite if you get too close. Again they look fearsome but will leave you alone if you leave them alone.
The best thing to do is not pick up anything in the water and don't stick your hand under any coral or into dark places.
Encounters with nasty sea creatures is rare and if you are careful and watchful you won't have any problems.

Edited by: Araura

Edited by: Araura

Take good care of any scratches, even tiny ones. They WILL get infected, especially from coral, so disinfect immediately.
Things grow in the tropics.

Cheers,
Peter

With the exceptions of drowning and infections from coral cuts you don't have much to worry about in the Cooks while snorkeling.

You can eliminate both of those by being careful. Stay away from areas like reef channels with dangerous currents and avoid getting scratched or cut on the coral.

The two places in the Cooks I've observed Stonefish in the Cook Islands was on Aitutaki in the main harbor in the jetty rocks and inland near the old seaplane dock on Akiama Motu. They seem to like the black rocks.

I'm on Mauke right now and have been snorkeling outside the reef a lot. I've only seen two little reef sharks in six hours in the water. The locals here can't remember the last time someone was stung by a Stonefish.

Being stung by a live Cone Shell is a real possibility if you handle a live animal. The Textile Cone is one of the worst and they are very common here in the Southern Group of the Cooks. Just don't pick up any shell up out of the water and you'll be safe.

I'd recommend reading up on Cones so you'll know what to look for.

I'd also recommend a good supply of waterproof bandages. After two bouts with serious infections I'm very careful about taking care of every little scratch and keeping the saltwater out. I probably have at least 100 of various sizes with me right now. In the last two weeks I've used about a dozen of them.

Very helpful information, thank you!

Since snorkeling has become the main purpose for our traveling we spend a lot of time in the water. Having had unexpected surges throw us onto coral - having urchin spines embedded in hands - jelly fish encounters, etc. we decided to try and protect ourselves. We have invested in snorkel skins( full length lycra suits), as well as gloves and hoods for snorkeling. We also wear booties with our fins - makes walking into the water a lot safer if there are stone fish or sting rays around. The suits protect us from brushes with coral, urchins, etc, as well as giving sun protection - keeping sunscreen out of the water is another plus for us. Unfortunately, they are not the most attractive look and get us some amused looks but when I found myself in a rather tight situation on a reef last year, I only had to pull the urchin spines out off my gloves and not my hands.

I once hit a stonefish with one toe underwater while I was lending my mask to someone else for a few minutes and couldn't see what was under me.
I got stung by just 3 spikes on that one toe, but even that lead to extensive swelling and the strongest pain I have ever experienced.
I hate to think what it might feel like to step on the whole of that creature with one's foot.

I recall reading posts here on TT in the past warning about stonefish danger at specific Rarotonga beaches, too.
But with the archives gone, they can no longer be read.

Unfortunately the only protection I can think of, strong-soled reef shoes is something I hate to recommend as it seems to encourage those wearing them to carelessly walk on living reefs causing horrible damage - I have seen this more than once.

I once rolled over getting out of the water in Fiji and sat on a Crown of Thorns, the nurse at the resort could only giggle!!!

The pain from skates, rays and sculpin's venom can be reduced by the application of heat. Also some jellyfish stings can be treated with meat tenderizer to alleviate pain.

thank you Guys,
All taken.
So just like on the Great Barrier Reef in AUSTRALIA,
Thanks for all.

You also better avoid the Blue-Ringed Octopus, one of the world's most venomous marine animals.

I haven't yet encountered the blue-ring octopus in either the Rarotonga or Aitutaki lagoons. They may be present, and are rare finds if so. There are octopus present in our lagoons, but these are the commonly caught species that are served on restaurant/island feast menus.

Rays are less common occurrence within the lagoons, but they are about on Aitutaki around Akaiami motu and the deeper lagoon area there, and are also seen within the southern lagoon of Rarotonga around reef-passages.

Blue-bottles are washed ashore on the odd occasion, being brought across the Pacific to Rarotonga during strong currents and bad weather. Most Ive seen is 5 in total on one day at the low tide mark along a 2 km stretch of beachfront.

Stone fish, and porcupine fish lurk about the shallows to bask in the warm waters where there is also sufficient camouflage around stones and coral heads. Wear good quality reef shoes and shuffle feet sideways when entering lagoon waters. Ive seen several porcupine fish this year in a sheltered northern lagoon area of Rarotonga, but no stone fish in the same area so far.