A Hawke’s Bay crayfisher who had a near-deadly encounter with a stingray has been reunited with the medical crew who saved his life.
Meeting today with the helicopter team who helped him, Eli Carroll recounted the harrowing moment yesterday while he was checking his crayfish pots at Aohanga in the Tararua District.
Attending Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter medic Heath Gillot said it was a lucky and very close escape after the 11cm barb pierced both of the fisherman’s legs in knee-deep murky water.
“The stingray got him in both his legs, left and right on the inner thigh, missing his femoral artery by millimetres — if it had got him, he probably would have bled to death on the scene.”
Carroll knew immediately the severity of his situation after being hit.
“It’s not like I could step back or forward. It was a mere seconds before it hit,” he said.
“As soon as I’d seen the pool of blood, around me and I started trekking my way out the beach, I could see the trail following me out, so I knew I was in trouble then.”
He has been discharged from hospital but still had a machine helping to dry out wounds, which was also assisting in drawing out any remaining poison.
The incident was so rare it marked Gillot’s first stingray-related callout, with Gillot saying it had been “incredibly uncommon” in his time as a helicopter medic.
“I think everybody knows the Steve Irwin case — the very tragic story. Outside of that, you never hear of someone getting attacked by a stingray,” he said.
However, there were tips for staying safe around the aquatic beasts.
Kelly Tarlton aquarist Jenna van Ginkel said stingrays struck out as a last resort.
“Their first line of defence is camouflage, so that’s how a lot of attacks do happen is that we can’t see them. Most of the time, stingrays only attack when they feel threatened.”
She recommended beachgoers practice the “stingray shuffle” — lifting feet and treading through waters lightly to alert nearby rays of human presence.
“Most of the time, if they see you, they know you’re there, you’ll avoid any harmful interactions.”