Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeguards are used to dealing with weaver fish stings on a daily basis around the South Wales coast during the holiday season. But two stings at Caswell Bay, Swansea, on Monday 30 August brought a little extra twist in the tale for the charity’s lifeguards.
A glorious bank holiday Monday and rising surf had prepared the lifeguards for a potentially busy day; fortunately the only two incidents they had to deal with at Caswell on the day were two weaver fish stings.
What made these two stings different were that not only was it a father and son from Cardiff who had to be treated a few hours apart, but that their names were – John and Dan Weaver.
Craig Jones, the senior lifeguard on duty at Caswell on the day said: ‘We were getting ready for what we thought would be a busy day with the sunny weather and quite strong surf.
‘Our first incident was in the morning when the father, John Weaver, came in for assistance after being stung by a weaver fish at high tide, which is quite a rare occurrence because weaver fish stings generally occur at low tide.
‘His son, Dan Weaver, then came in at low tide for first aid treatment, again after being stung by a weaver fish. ‘While everyone concerned saw the funny side of this story, Weaver fish stings can be very painful for those affected. The regular treatment is for the foot to be immersed in as hot water as the casualty can tolerate for up to 20 minutes.
‘If necessary, they may have to endure another 20 minutes in hot water to take the poison out of the foot.
‘Fortunately, neither father nor son needed any further treatment and both were very grateful to the lifeguards for their help.’
