Hello steffeng-ga,
The situation and symptoms you described immediately made me think of
a stingray. A good friend was bit by one at a Southern California
beach under very similar circumstances. Stingrays are fairly common
around San Diego. According to the treatment suggestions, you should
have soaked it in very hot water immediately. You also have to worry
about reaction to the poison and possible infection. If your arm is
still oozing you might want to have a doctor check it to make sure
it’s not infected.
Here are some pages to describe the critters, how to avoid them and
what to do if you’re bit again. Good luck with your continued surfing
adventures.
czh
http://www.surfingsandiego.com/animals.shtml
Rays (see picture)
Danger Rating: 5
This is something you gotta watch out for here in San Diego. Small
rays tend to hang out in the shallow water right where you usually
tend to walk out. If you are not wearing booties, shuffle your feet
and splash a lot while walking out, this should scare them out of
there hiding place. However, if you step on them, they have this
painful barb on their tail that hurts quite well, so much so usually
that your surf outing will be cancelled.
http://www.advweb.com/michael/Cayman_08-05-97/pictures/25-Kellys_stingray_bite.jpg
Kellys_stingray_bite
http://gorp.com/gorp/publishers/foghorn/ca_beach3.htm
San Diego Sand
San Onofre State Beach
Even so, the most common animal-related injury is the bite of the
stingray, which is known to settle in the sand close to shore.
http://www.sharkattacks.com/sandiego.htm
San Diego, California
San Diego has always been a city that revolved around the sea. With
it's stunning beaches, wild life parks, and many first class
restaurants, it's dive sites are often overlooked. San Diego has a few
world famous dive sites as well as some of the best Kelp Forests in
the world. …
You should explore the kelp forests close to shore. Beneath the canopy
of massed fronds there are colorful fish, lobsters, eels, swellsharks
, leopard sharks, California hornsharks , and even the occasional
stingray. Watch especially for California's state marine fish, the
bright golden (and pugnacious) garibaldi
http://www.sdreader.com/php/ma_show.php3?id=070302C
Is it wise to pee on a stingray wound?
Friends say if you're stung by a sting ray and there's no medical help
or fresh water around, you can urinate on the wound and it will make
it better. Well?
-- Wondering, Oceanside
It's a well-known folk remedy, though I couldn't find any folk who'd
actually tried it or knew anyone who had. Believers state that
stingray venom is acid, urine is alkaline, so peeing into the wound
neutralizes the poison. Some say you're safer from infection if you
flush the wound with urine than with potentially contaminated sea
water. Most physicians will still recommend the sea water.
The tail barb of a ray is viciously serrated and covered with a fleshy
sheath. When an unalert beachgoer steps on a dozing ray, it whips its
tail up and jams the barb into the bather's foot or ankle or gashes
his flesh. The sheath tears off the barb, and the venom is released.
For the next 30 to 90 minutes, our hapless surf bunny writhes in
excruciating pain. Assuming the victim will let anyone near his
swollen, throbbing leg, the recommended first aid is to flush the
area-- yes, even with seawater, if that's all there is-- to remove as
much venom as possible. Then remove as much of the fleshy sheath as
can be seen in the wound. (The biggest danger from stingray stings is
infection usually from bits of sheath remaining in the wound.) Then
stick the wound in water as hot as the victim can tolerate or apply
hot compresses. That eases some of the pain and may help neutralize
the venom, which is chemically unstable and loses its toxicity at high
temperatures.
Stingray's barbs are intended for defense against marine predators, so
there's not enough venom in the sting to seriously affect the average
healthy adult human. There is a chance of allergic reactions to the
sting; and any stings to the upper part of the body, near the heart,
should be taken seriously. Since we're heading into the high-summer
ray days, remember to scuff your feet through the sand when you wade
to scare off any rays before you step on them. Then you'll only have
to worry about wounds from broken beer bottles and medical waste.
http://www.scuba-doc.com/inject.htm
Injected Toxins
STINGRAY
Phylum Chordata, Class Chondrichthyes. These possess a serrated bony
spine at the base of the dorsal surface of the tail. An integumentary
sheath discharges venom when ruptured. Most injuries occur when the
ray is stepped on, the tail is thrust upward and forward and fired
into the foot or leg. The venom is thermolabile (deactivated with
heat) and induces severe vasoconstriction.
Symptoms: Intense pain is felt at the site; there is local ischemia
(loss of blood supply), and edema. Edges are jagged, may contain
pieces of spine and secondary infection is common. Systemic effects
include salivation, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, hypotension
(low blood pressure), and cardiovascular collapse.
Treatment: Irrigate and remove remaining spine. Immerse in hot (50 C)
water until pain subsides. Give local or systemic pain relief.
Cleanse, debride and suture the wound. Give tetanus protection,
infection prophylaxis and monitor / support cardio-respiratory system
as indicated.
http://wellness.ucdavis.edu/safety_info/poison_prevention/poison_book/marine_creatures.html#stingrays
Stingrays
Stingrays have a barbed spine on their long tails that can cause
painful and dangerous stings. Stingrays can thrash their tails side to
side and up and down, causing glancing blows as well as actual stings.
Because the stinging spine has jagged edges, the wounds can be ragged,
deep and bleed extensively. A stingray does not attack but will sting
if surprised or provoked. Once stung, the pain is intense. There may
also be nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing and
shock. Treatment for a stingray sting is to immediately immerse the
affected area in water as hot as the victim can tolerate without
causing burns. The wounded area must be kept in hot water for 30-60
minutes. Then call the Poison Center for more information.
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