Boca Chica—The Dominican ultra-distance swimmer Marcos Díaz thanked the doctors and nurses of the Hospital Materno Infantil de Boca Chica for the attention he received after being stung by a stonefish during a surfing session at La Boya beach in Boca Chica. Diaz, who is a member of the Board of Reef Check, spoke of the quick and timely attention received by doctors Maritza Santana and Rafael de los Santos, assisted by nursing assistants Damaso Marte and Noelia Batista, along with the remote advice of his doctor Pedro Ivan Peralta.
“The care in the emergency was excellent. The personnel on the morning of January 24 took the correct steps,” Marcos Díaz indicated. The hospital’s director, Carolina Burgos, said that the center’s medical team frequently receives patients with stings and other injuries that arise in coastal areas.
Last Tuesday, January 24, after leaving the waters of La Boya, the athlete, Marcos Diaz, explained that he stepped on something with his right foot, which caused him severe pain. Initially, he thought it was a cut, but he quickly identified the spine pricks of the stonefish, a poisonous marine species known for its camouflage and lethal poison.
Knowing the risks, with urgency and the help of the surfing community in the area, the athlete acted quickly, submerging his foot in hot water to neutralize the poison. Díaz highlighted the immediate collaboration of the community, his friends, and the intervention of the health center doctors, which he defined as fundamental to addressing the situation efficiently and preserving the life of the outstanding Dominican swimmer. The stonefish, of rocky and camouflaged appearance, is recognized for its venomous spines capable of injecting a potent poison.