Man hospitalised after being stung by jellyfish off Queensland state

A man dived face-first into an extremely venomous, peanut-sized jellyfish in waters off northeast Australia and medics flew him to a hospital intensive care unit to treat the potentially fatal sting, officials said.

The 29-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was on a yacht off northeast Queensland state.

As a precaution, he was wearing a full-length "stinger suit," a lightweight version of a wetsuit that covers everything but the face, feet and hands and helps protect against venomous jellyfish that are common in northern Australia's waters during the Southern Hemisphere summer.

But when he dived into the water near South Molle Island, he was immediately stung in the face by a potentially lethal Irukandji jellyfish, Central Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service spokeswoman Leonie Hansen said.

He was taken back to the island, where a rescue team rushed to his aid.

"The crew said he was shivering and in shock and in a great deal of pain," Ms Hansen said.

The man, from the Queensland capital Brisbane, was in serious condition yesterday at Mackay Base Hospital in Mackay, 600 miles north of Brisbane, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The jellyfish's sting can lead to Irukandji syndrome, a set of symptoms that includes shooting pains in the muscles and chest, vomiting, restlessness and anxiety.

Some symptoms can last for more than a week, and the syndrome can occasionally lead to a rapid rise in blood pressure and heart failure.

In 2002, two tourists were killed in separate incidents after being stung by the tiny creatures off northeast Australia - the first recorded Irukandji fatalities.

But because the jellyfish leave almost no mark on their victims, scientists believe they are responsible for many deaths that were attributed as drownings or heart attacks, said marine biologist Lisa Gershwin, who has spent 11 years studying the animals.