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When a diver jumped into the waters off northeast Australia last week, he thought he was taking every precaution to remain safe.
Knowing venomous jellyfish become common in the sea there at this time of year, the 29-year-old had even donned a 'stinger suit' designed to protect against potentially fatal stings.
Unfortunately - while the protective clothing covered everything but his face, hands and feet - our man from Brisbane, dived face-first into a tiny, but deadly jellyfish.
As soon as he hit the water, he was stung in the face by the potentially lethal Irukandji jellyfish (pictured in a pot), which, though peanut-sized, pack a powerful venom. Instantly he felt extreme pain, started shivering and went into shock.
Fellow divers dragged him back to the yacht and he was taken to the shore where the Central Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service picked him up and took him to Mackay Base hospital. Once at the intensive care unit, he was treated for the potentially fatal sting and is said to be in a serious condition.
Irukandji jellyfish are a distant relative of the more notorious box jellyfish the sting of which can kill a human in two minutes. But because the Irukandji measure just 1cm long they are hard to see until it is too late.
