The undisputed king of the deep is the mysterious and deadly shark. Sharks are eating machines. Despite their near-mythological predatory status, they have a rather conventional attack - they bite.
Shark attacks are relatively rare in the world, but when they bite we hear about it. Shark bites can be messy and overwhelming for the first aider - especially a lay rescuer. The best way to respond is not to look at the mess as a shark bite, but rather as a collection of soft-tissue injuries.
Besides the mighty shark, stingrays have gotten some negative press in the recent past. Stingray stings are rarely fatal, but can be quite nasty.
Jellyfish are beautiful and can leave unsuspecting snorkelers and swimmers with a painful sting or two. These sneaky predators can leave you scratching your head while trying to figure out how you got stung, but should never leave anybody peeing on the wound. Vinegar is helpful for those jellyfish stings - urine is not.
Of course, the water isn't the only place that animals can be found. There's plenty of wildlife on the beach, too.
