Off the coast of Fiji, an Australian man experienced unimaginable pain after being stung by one of the world's most dangerous animals — the box jellyfish.
While surfing on vacation, Guy Rowles, a 30-year-old roofer with an Instagram following of over 21,000 for predominantly surfing posts, had a horrifying experience after being stung by a sea creature.
Rowles told the media company SkyNews Australia that immediately he felt the pain "just straight away just so intense."
"Like my arm was on fire," he said. "... Just felt like someone poured like hot oil on my arm and just they weren't stopping. It was gnarly."
Once he described the burning feeling, his guide ordered him to return to the boat immediately.
He then traveled 40 minutes back to Fiji's mainland, but struggled to breathe. Rowles spoke with both of his parents during the trip to the hospital, asking his dad, "Am I going to die?"
Once he made it to the medical facility, despite receiving immediate attention, things still seemed bleak. Rowles recounted that once the medical team was alerted that he was stung by a box jellyfish, "the nurse's eyes just went white." The nurse's fear was warranted as these jellyfish can cause fatal brain hemorrhages and heart failure.
According to People.com, by the time Rowles had reached the hospital, it was too late for him to receive the antivenom for the sting. Instead, medical staff poured vinegar on the sting, and administered other care, including dosing him with morphine.
After being monitored for several hours, Rowles was discharged, and has since made a full recovery.
Rowles then shared images of himself and his wound on Instagram at Zen's Medical Center in Fiji, writing: "Got stung surfing by a box jellyfish or irukandji in Fiji … pretty wild experience. Definitely puts things into perspective."
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While many people would be deterred by the experience, the surfer told SkyNews Australia that he wouldn't let the sting stop him from enjoying his time in nature, and that "the guide, we've had a good giggle about it now." He returned to surfing the very next day.
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