German paramedic endures deadly stonefish sting at popular cove near Karratha
Kacper Krupa survived a sting from a stonefish at Hearson's Cove at the weekend. (Supplied: Kacper Krupa)
In short:
A 26-year-old man was stung by a stonefish at a popular swimming spot near Karratha in WA.
Stonefish are the deadliest fish on the planet and are common in tropical waters in northern parts of Australia, but stings are considered rare.
What's next?
An expert is warning beachgoers to be on the lookout and offering advice on the best way to manage a sting.
A man who survived a sting from the world's most venomous fish has likened the experience to being kicked by an elephant.
Kacper Krupa, 26, decided to go swimming at Hearson's Cove, a popular beach near Karratha about 1,500 kilometres north of Perth.
While swimming in waist deep water about 100 metres offshore he lowered his left hand onto what he thought was the sand.
Low tide at Hearson's Cove on the Burrup Peninsula near Dampier. (ABC Open contributor Gavin Canning)
"Something stung me on my finger … I just took the hand out of the water and it was bleeding a little bit," he said.
"[But] the pain was so severe. The fingers started to swell, the pain was just going slowly up the hand, slowly up the whole arm to the shoulder, and over to the chest to the heart.
"It felt like an elephant was kicking your heart."
Authorities suspect Mr Krupa was stung by a stonefish, considered the most poisonous fish on the planet.
The reef fish has 13 spines along its dorsal fin, all of which can inject a highly toxic venom.
The toxins are a defence mechanism against potential predators while the fish lies in wait, camouflaged, to ambush potential prey.
Stonefish disguise themselves among other rocks and stones, but provide a potentially lethal response to predators. (Supplied: WA Museum)
Symptoms can include cardiac arrest, respiratory issues, muscle breakdown, and eventually death.
Originally from Germany and trained as a paramedic, the 26-year-old suddenly found himself racing to hospital for his own potentially life-threatening emergency, leaving his phone behind in the sand in the rush.
"I was driving myself because my girlfriend she's right now learning how to drive," he said.
"She was basically just changing the gears, I was pressing the clutch because I couldn't use my left hand.
"I was trying not to rip off the steering wheel because of the pain."
Mr Krupa was rushed to a bed and provided with painkillers at Karratha Hospital while his hand was placed in a mixture of hot water and vinegar to treat the venom travelling through his body.
While the sting looked innocuous it was incredibly painful. (Supplied: Kacper Krupa)
Although an anti-venom for stonefish stings has existed in Australia since the 1950s, Mr Krupa did not see what stung him under the water, prompting doctors to activate the snake bite protocol instead.
However, doctors later confirmed it was most likely a stonefish sting.
"They've just been running all of the blood tests and said 95 per cent chance it was a stonefish. It couldn't be anything else," he said.
Common but dangerous
WA Museum's curator of fishes, Glenn Moore, said stonefish were endemic to much of Australia's northern coastline.
"Stonefish are very common throughout the northern parts of Australia as they are through most of the Indo West Pacific waters in the tropics," he said.
"They look like a lump of rock, so seeing them is actually part of the challenge."
Dr Moore said there had been no recorded deaths from stonefish since the creation of an anti-venom, but beachgoers needed to be aware of the risks.
Mr Krupa stayed in hospital for a day to recover from the sting and pain he endured. (Supplied: Kacper Krupa)
"Certainly be aware and wear appropriate protection if you're likely to put your feet down where they might be," he said.
"[If you get stung] you need to get to medical help as quickly as you can.
"Putting your foot [or hand] in water that is as hot as you can possibly handle … will help alleviate some of the instant pain."
Mr Krupa was discharged from hospital after a day of treatment, and received a week-long course of antibiotics to help in his recovery.
A member from the local Karratha community also found and returned his phone.