Terror at the beach: Teen's legs attacked by small marine creatures

Terror at the beach: Teen's legs attacked by small marine creatures

If there aren't enough reasons already to be afraid of the vast open sea, here's another.

Picture this. As you stare at the luscious glistening sea, you decide to put your footwear aside and go in for a quick refreshing dip. 

However, as you step out, you realise both your feet have started bleeding profusely.

Sounds like a scene from a low-budget horror movie, but this is what happened to Sam Kanizay who was attacked by tiny marine creatures at Dendy Street Beach in Brighton, Australia.

 

Sam Kanizay as he was treated by hospital staff.Photo: Screengrab

The 16-year-old said in The Age report that after emerging from the water, he noticed his legs were covered in blood from the calves down.

While he intitially suspected that he had stepped on a rock, he immediately dismissed the idea as the wounds were uniform on both legs.

Photo: Screengrab

After failing to stop the blood flow, his family drove him to Sandringham Hospital emergency department, The Age reported.

Sam's father, Jarrod Kanizay, then drove Sam to Dandenong Hospital in the early hours of Sunday for further tests.

So what attacked Sam?

University of Melbourne marine biologist Professor Michael Keough told The Age the culprits might be sea lice, calling them "scavengers who'll clean up dead fish and feed on living tissue."

Photo: Museums Victoria

He said that they're mostly less than a centimetre long, so their bites are pretty small.

That's consistent with the pinprick size marks found on Sam, he added.

Determined to find out more about the sea lice, Jarrod went back to the beach the next day armed with a pool net, wetsuit and pieces of steak, according to The Age.

After finding thousands of little mite-type creatures in his net, he put them in a portable cooler and brought them back home to be observed.

When he put pieces of raw meat inside, that was when the horror started.

The video below is not for the faint-hearted.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfuFwTK4Q5E[/embed]

As seen on the video, the creatures gather around the pieces of meats nibbing at them. Just like piranhas, but smaller.

Netizens are horrified at this revelation.

[embed]https://twitter.com/DrMarkCheng/status/894359947546210305[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/jillastark/status/894382295376732161[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/Aaron_Morgan/status/894393414686474240[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/steelchick36/status/894416367180447744[/embed]

Despite this, Bayside City Council confirmed to 7 News Online that Dendy Street Beach will not be closed.

akosasi@sph.com.sg

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