In recent months we’ve shined a light on kayak fishing in Japan, but YouTube also hosts a thriving community of paddle anglers in Malaysia and Singapore. Herman Mann is a Singaporean angler, professional mountain biker and host of the MannOnBoard YouTube channel. In this video, he tangles with angry birds before getting stung by a baby stingray. Watch along to see how Mann responds to the painful surprise.
Stingray Strikes Singaporean Kayak Angler
Mann greets us from his kayak on a cloudy, calm Tuesday morning in Singapore. He plans to work the Ketam Channel, an industrial area where kelongs—wooden buildings on piles—extend over the waterfront. “Not going too far today, promise!” he says. “But you never know, huh?”
The day’s first encounter comes not with a fish, but rather a group of fifteen “angry birds, complaining as per normal.” Mann seeks friendlier waters at nearby Palau Ubin island. He casts about and catches a few small cuttlefish. Other nibbles come, including “one big thing, I reckon it was a big catfish,” the angler suggests.
His next catch is a baby stingray. “Ay ay, not gonna take this guy back,” Mann says as he tries to remove the hook. The ray thrashes around and a subtitle warns us to Wait for it…. Suddenly, Mann rears back in pain. The sting, he says, “hurts like hell.” The angler chalks it up to a “lack of experience,” but resolves to keep fishing with a rubber band wrapped around his wounded finger.
How to Treat a Stingray Sting
Commenters on the video have a number of suggestions to treat a stingray sting, including vinegar, Stingose spray and…lit cigarettes?
Online health authorities don’t mention cigarettes, but they agree that you should wash the affected skin in vinegar or saltwater for 30 seconds to deactivate the venom. Make sure any fragments of stingray spine are removed from the wound before washing and take care not to touch them with your hands. Bandage and apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
Finally, be prepared to perform CPR and seek emergency medical treatment in case of allergic reaction or a more severe sting. Thankfully, as Mann says, this one was just a baby.