Stingrays - Brian Chernicky Dot Com Apologies for the inconvenience. Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:27:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.brianchernicky.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cropped-brian-chernicky-32x32.jpg Stingrays - Brian Chernicky Dot Com 32 32 Predicting Peak Stingray Injury Months Using Google Analytics https://www.brianchernicky.com/predicting-peak-stingray-injury-months-using-google-analytics/ Tue, 23 Jun 2020 21:28:11 +0000 https://www.brianchernicky.com/?p=4755 I have some popular stingray injury-related posts on this site. Assuming visitors to these posts have been stung recently, you can see peak periods for stingray injuries for any region in the world. A cool application for Google Analytics!

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In this post, I want to share some data from Google Analytics for traffic to some of my more popular posts about stingrays.

As these posts are about how to treat stingray injuries, stingray protective gear, and ways to avoid stingray injuries – one can assume most people visiting these posts have been stung recently.

If you want to go along with that assumption, here are the overall peak times for stingray injuries, worldwide:

  • 2018: January & Late April – August.
  • 2019: May – December.
  • 2020: May –

We can also filter the data by any Geographical region ID.

The biggest region I show traffic for is California, and the data is the same as above.

For Abernathy, Texas:

  • 2018: April – August.
  • 2019: May – October.
  • 2020: May –

For Florida:

  • 2018: April – July.
  • 2019: April – Jun.
  • 2020: May –

For Illinois:

  • 2018: May – August.
  • 2019: May – December.
  • 2020: May –

The data goes on for basically every area in the world.  I don’t know how reliable data for Arizona is, but obviously there are a lot of tourists to California and other areas where stingrays are prevalent.

Still, most of the time I use Google Analytics to show clients how their web sites are performing and to make informed marketing decisions.  So it’s really cool to see it used for other applications.

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Shuffling Your Feet Does NOT Deter Stingrays. Stomping Does. Here’s why. https://www.brianchernicky.com/stingrays-shuffling-vs-stomping/ Wed, 29 Nov 2017 18:05:27 +0000 http://www.brianchernicky.com/?p=4212 I make the argument that "shuffling your feet" to avoid stingrays is pure nonsense, and that that "stomping" your feet is a far better deterrent.

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Want to avoid stingrays? Don’t shuffle. Stomp.

There is zero evidence that “Shuffling your feet” actually works.

The Internet, most surfers and many lifeguards all believe in and repeat an old wives’ tale: Namely that if you shuffle your feet, somehow that will prevent stingrays from injuring you.

They call this the stingray shuffle.

Despite the shuffle being common advice, I am not aware of any scientific evidence that suggests shuffling your feet actually deters stingrays and prevents stingray injuries.

Don’t worry about sharks: There are thousands of stingray injuries every year.

Most people in the non-ocean-going public are worried about shark attacks. They shouldn’t be. The fact is swimmers in California have a one in 738 million chance of being attacked by a shark.

What people should be worried about are stingrays.

The Orange County Register reported on the record stingray injuries in Huntington Beach in 2012: As of some point in early November, there were 438 injuries. Again, this was in Huntington Beach alone.  Replicate this estimate through the state of California, and you’re looking at thousands of injuries each year.

Given the high number of stingray injuries, there should be some scientific research performed on this oft-repeated shuffling advice.

I’ve seen it. Shuffling doesn’t work.

I know shuffling doesn’t work from personal experience.

I’ve been hit by stingrays 4 times. I was shuffling my feet 3 out of 4 of those times.  The other time I was walking.

I would guess shuffling your feet is better than nothing, but a better avoidance behavior is stomping your feet.

Here’s why:

I’ve seen it: Stomping your feet does work.

Quite often I dive for lobster in shallow areas. There are always stingrays out there.

I’ve seen this in person not just once or a few times… I’ve seen it every time:

When a ray is 10 feet (or even 5 feet) away – shuffling does nothing.

Stomping my feet, the rays seem to sense the vibration and they swim away with a quickness… even when they are 20 feet away.

It’s worth noting that there are lifeguards who have run through the surf every day of their lives for 40 years and have never been stung.  The stomp is probably the reason for that.

Now, don’t be stupid and run out there like a lifeguard. This is likely dangerous (even though lifeguards do it) because it doesn’t give the stingrays adequate time to feel the vibrations and swim away. You could just step on one.

If you’re going to stomp, do it deliberately and slowly, so stringrays have a chance to leave.

So how do I “stomp”?  What is stomping?

For history’s sake, let it be known hereforth and through the ages that I was the first to call shenanigans on shuffling and recognize stomping as the superior stingray avoidance behavior.  Accordingly, I dub this “Chernicky’s stingray stomp“.  If I do nothing else with my life, there that is.

I’m also not going to tell you to do it.  You’re responsible for your own feet.

But I will tell you what I do when I surf:

  • I slowly and carefully enter the water, stepping on what I can see.
  • I stomp my feet repeatedly until I get on the board.
  • If I’m standing in one place waiting for my chance to paddle out, I stomp my feet in place.
  • I get on the board as soon as possible.

Stomping could definitely use some scientific validation.  For now, take it as a highly-likely, educated hypothesis based upon multiple observations.

If you’re a marine biology student, I just gifted you a thesis topic.

At some point, I hope to have time to produce and post a video to this page demonstrating the difference in stingray behavior when shuffling vs. stomping.

Further reading

Having been hit by stingrays 4 separate times, I have become somewhat of a first-person authority on stingrays and stingray injuries.

Showing the kids a stingray I caught while fishing. Note the stinger on top of the tail.
Showing the kids a stingray I caught while fishing. Note the stinger on top of the tail.

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Stingrays: How to Treat a Stingray Injury & Reduce the Pain https://www.brianchernicky.com/stingrays-how-to-treat-a-stingray-injury-reduce-the-pain/ Wed, 29 Nov 2017 18:05:23 +0000 http://www.brianchernicky.com/?p=4213 Step-by-step instructions on how to treat a stingray injury from someone that has been stung 4 separate times.

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Having been hit by stingrays 4 separate times, I have reluctantly become somewhat of a first-person authority on stingrays and stingray injuries.  I have a couple friends who even call me Stingray Brian now.

Showing the kids a stingray I caught while fishing. Note the stinger on top of the tail.
Showing the kids a stingray I caught while fishing. Note the stinger on top of the tail.

How to treat a stingray injury:

The only thing that works is very hot water.

The only thing that will help reduce the pain of a stingray injury is submerging your foot in the hottest water you can stand – without burning yourself.

If someone is at home, call them and tell them to start boiling water in a large pot.

Find a clean bucket.  You want it clean so you reduce your chances of infection.  To be safer, you can line the bucket with a new trash bag.

Combine the boiling water and some cold water into the bucket until it’s something you can put your foot in safely.

While you’re add it, you may consider adding a good amount of liquid dish soap to the water to further reduce the chances of infection.

Stingray injury victim, soaking the injury in very hot water. Note the trashbag used to line the bucket in order to increase cleanliness.

A stingray injury victim soaks their foot in hot water at the Moonlight Beach Lifeguard Tower in Encinitas, CA.  Note the plastic bag lining the bucket, which helps in keeping a clean environment and reducing chances of infection.

Why does hot water work?

It is thought that heat breaks down the protein molecule found in the venom.

The relief you experience after putting your foot in hot water is nearly instant, and it takes away about 50%-75% of the pain.

Consider scrubbing the wound.

When I get stung, and I’m sure there is no barb stuck in my foot, I preemptively scrub the injury with a betadine scrub pad.

The level-10 pain of this is nearly-unbearable, but I do it in an attempt to get as much of the gnarly bacteria and poison out of the immediate area.

I do this before, during and after my hot water soak.

Keep the wound dressed and clean.

After the soak, I keep the wound covered. Use Neosporin an a clean bandage.

It’s important not to let any foreign bacteria enter the wound.

See a doctor.

At this point, I’d highly advise you see (or at least call) your doctor.

To save time, ask your doctor about the following potential antibiotics, which have proven to be very effective for me:

  • Cephalaxin 500 MG
  • Doxycycline Hyclate 100 MG

My doctor, realizing that I’m in the water a lot, preemptively wrote me a prescription for antibiotics to take in the event I am hit by a stingray.  I start taking them during my soak time now, until I can my doctor.

You really probably should see a doctor.

I know myself and what works for me at this point: Hot water and an immediate antibiotic regimen.  But I keep an eye on it.  If it isn’t drastically better by the morning, I go see my doctor.

The issue is this:

If a portion of the stingray barb is still in your skin, it is not going to come out by itself like a splinter would. The stingray barb has evolved to go one way: Deeper into the skin. And this can become a huge problem if left untreated.

Stingray venom and the stingray barbs are very nasty.  Risk for infection is compounded by any saltwater-resistant bacteria that may be on the stingray barb as well.

Not seeing a doctor, you could even lose your foot. It’s not worth the risk.

The third time I was stung, an acute cellulitis infection required me to be hospitalized for a night.

My foot swelled to 3 times it’s normal size, and required a few rounds of some very gnarly intravenous antibiotics:

Stingray injury / cellulitis

What do stingray injuries feel like?

Pain concentrate.

The stingray is like Alien: It has a developed the most perfect defense mechanism it could over millions of years of evolution: An extremely painful, protein-based venom that causes excruciating pain and a very real chance of further infection and cellulitis.

Even a tiny cut the size of an ant can bring an adult near tears.

If you’ve never been stung by a stingray, here’s what it feels like:

  • Imagine someone coming down on your foot with an axe – over and over again.
  • Imagine someone taking a chainsaw to your foot – for an hour.
  • It is about the maximum pain an adult can stand without crying.
  • I’ve now spoken with a number of women who have had stingray injuries that have rated the pain as “worse than childbirth”.

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Stingray Resistant Surf Booties https://www.brianchernicky.com/stingray-resistant-surf-booties/ Thu, 27 Apr 2017 22:19:11 +0000 http://www.brianchernicky.com/?p=4078 A summary of experimentation for reducing the likelihood of stingray injuries through the use of thick surf booties, puncture-resistant materials, N52 rare earth magnets, and behavioral changes.

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Avoiding stingray injuries via puncture-resistant linings & behavior

& possibly magnets

Having been hit by stingrays 4 separate times, I have become somewhat of a first-person authority on stingrays and stingray injuries and how to treat them.  A few locals now call me Stingray Brian.

Far from being “smart”, after my third stingray injury, I had a realization:  Maybe I should protect my feet.

So I decided to try and make a pair of stingray-resistant/deterrent surf booties.

Hypothesis:

After some research and trial-and-error, I focused on 4 things to reduce the likelihood of future stingray injuries.

A fifth item was recently tested by a local named Trisha Dunne that I have been in contact with.

Follow these links if you want to jump to a specific section:

  1. A protective material guard: This is effective. Here’s why.
  2. A magnetic deterrent (“biotech”): I believe this is not effective. Here’s why.
  3. A behavioral deterrent: I believe this is effective. Here’s why.
  4. Enhanced vision: Polarized surfing sunglasses: This is effective. Here’s why.
  5. A sound deterrent: I believe this is not effective. Here’s why.

You can follow my process on each of these items below, and if you want to try it out for yourself, I’ve included direct links to the products I used on Amazon, where applicable.

1. Using a protective material guard

Verdict: Effective

For the protective guard, I wanted a material that would help eliminate or reduce any stingray barb injury by providing an extra layer of protection.

Existing stingray “boots” have been on the market for decades, but these are stiff and not pliable enough to be used by surfers… They are made for fishermen that wade in stingray-populated rivers.

So I started wearing wetsuit booties in the water.

Hotline booties

Thick surf booties

I wanted wetsuit booties with the thickest reinforced rubber possible.

For my first design, I used an old pair of Hotline booties.

My thinking was that these would afford at least some protection against stingray barbs, as another layer the barb would have to penetrate.

I didn’t have to wait very long to test this. The very next time I was in the water, I took 2 “steps” (while shuffling) after getting off my surfboard, when I felt the razor-blade slice – right through the bootie.

As this was my fourth stingray injury, I can relate from personal experience: The laceration was indeed much less deep and less severe.

So if you see a guy out there wearing booties in the middle of summer, go ahead and give me grief for the fact I look like a goofball. I’m cool with that because I do look like a goofball.

But if you find yourself on the receiving end of a stingray strike (or four), you might consider wearing booties.

Complete protection: Puncture-proof material

One of my initial thoughts was to line a bootie with Kevlar.  However, my understanding of Kevlar was pedestrian – pretty much limited to an education from Hollywood films.

As it turns out, Kevlar is pretty good at stopping ballistic threats (bullet-proof vests), but when it comes to stabbing attacks, only certain types of Kevlar are stab-resistant, at best.  With most types of Kevlar, knives can go right through.

But wouldn’t it be great if there was a material that was scientifically proven to be 100% effective at protecting against stingray barbs?

There is. 

In 2013, a student named Zachary McGaugh empirically studied 10 different puncture-resistant fabrics to determine which material would be most effective at preventing stingray injury as a surf bootie lining. You can read the abstract for this study, here: What Material Is Best for Lining the Inside of a Surf Bootie to Prevent Foot Penetration from a Stingray Barb?

The winner, with absolutely zero penetration in the study, was a material called Rhinoguard, manufactured by a company called Tilsatec.

If you want to get an idea of just how effective this material is at preventing puncture wounds, watch this video:

Great!  Now to buy a sock made of this material that would go on the inside of a surf bootie!

Unfortunately, Tilsatec does not make a product like this.

They also don’t sell the material.  Even if they did, I’d have no idea how to actually cut it or sew it!

I believe puncture-proof material to have the best potential for effective stingray resistant booties.

A commercial product is now available!

Stingray resistant surf booties

In 2020, I was contacted by Randy Lewis, an engineering graduate student at UCSD.  Randy that told me that he was looking into creating a flexible bootie product that would provide resistance to stingray injuries.

After performing some research and testing, Lewis and his team created a company called DragonSkin that now has a few bootie models to choose from.

In 2021, Lewis brought me a prototype pair of the Achilles Heels model. He was very modest in letting me know that the product was still in something of a beta/prototype phase.

In 2023, Dragonskin sent me the final commercial version of the Achilles Heels.

What do I think of the product?

Lewis and his team have done the research on stingray injuries and the product materials. I’m confident in the product. In combination with proper stingray avoidance behavior, I believe this product can greatly reduce the likelihood of stingray injuries.

The booties have a 2-layer design. Each shoe has an inner layer (think: sock) with protection for the top and bottom of the foot. The outer layer (think: shoe) has protection for the sides of the feet.

Inside the box, they included an extra detail I thought was thoughtful: A postcard with a real stingray barb attached to it, so you can test it out on your booties to get an idea of how well they work.

DragonSkin continues to perform research on stingray injuries.  In fact, if you’ve ever been stung, you can contribute to this research by filling out this Stingray Injury History Survey.

2. Using magnets as a “biotech” stingray deterrent

Verdict: Not Effective

Now I’ll discuss the idea of the magnetic deterrent.

Before you read further, know that I believe the magnets probably do not work and are a essentially a big placebo.

Can magnets overload a stingray’s electroreceptors?

Stingrays share some biology with sharks: Namely sensory organs / electroreceptors (called “ampullae of Lorenzini”) that are used to locate food.

A 2016 Shark Week special called “Sharks Among Us” explored the idea of magnetic barriers – and how scientists are exploring how magnets can be used to overload these sensory receptors, and hence deter sharks:

In the scientific literature, there’s a study called Responses of the southern stingray (Dasyatis americana) and the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) to permanent magnets that shows further promise to the hypothesis that stingrays actively avoid magnetic fields. Here’s the abstract:

The behavioral responses of free-swimming, wild southern stingrays (Dasyatis americana) and nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) to permanent magnets were evaluated in the Florida Keys, USA. Animals were attracted to a baited magnetic treatment board consisting of two 15 cm × 10 cm × 5 cm grade C8 Barium-Ferrite (empirically, BaFe12O19) permanent magnets producing a flux of 950 gauss at their surface and a baited procedural control board containing two smooth nonmagnetized clay bricks. In the presence of permanent magnets, D. americana and G. cirratum demonstrated a significantly greater number of avoidance behaviors away from the magnet side of the apparatus, while both species fed a significantly greater number of times from the non-magnetized procedural control side. Thus, D. americana and G. cirratum showed sensitivity to a magnetic field and were successfully repelled from baited areas containing magnets. The results from the current study suggest that the use of grade C8 Barium-Ferrite permanent magnets as an avoidance mechanism (e.g., repellent) to reduce elasmobranch mortalities associated with fishing operations and beach nets merits further investigation.

So there is the operative hypothesis, with some analogs and proofs of concept already out there.

Now, I thought, let’s glue some magnets to booties!  My thinking was to start small – not with the gigantic, brick-sized permanent magnet mentioned in the study above.

You can see my process below, or you can skip to the part where I explain why I think these magnets do not actually work.

My attempt at making magnetic stingray deterrent booties

In my first attempt, I used a combination of hot glue and Gorilla Glue to affix some rare-earth magnets. This didn’t work, as all of the glued magnets ended up falling off after a couple surf sessions.

Below is my Mark II “current stable model”, and what I used on my booties for a couple years – before taking them out entirely.

Surf booties

I started with some surf booties.

The thicker the better, since I want the added benefit of a material guard.

Magnets

N52 rare-earth magnets are some of the strongest grade magnets available.

They’re actually somewhat difficult to get apart from each other.

Stingray resistant surf booties with magnets

Neoprene patches

Iron Mend Repair patches are easily applied with an iron.

How this works is that you have to make sure the booties are very dry first, then iron them on with the magnets underneath.

I had a total of six magnets on each bootie: 2 in front, 2 in the middle, and 2 on the Achilles tendon.

A patent for the magnetic surf bootie exists

After my first prototype was made, I got all excited and thought Wow! I should patent this!

It turns out that this exact patent was awarded in 2016 to inventor Michael Bobzien.

Bobzien has some videos on YouTube that seem to indicate the hypothesis is promising:

But… do they actually work?

I want to be clear about something.  As far as deterring stingrays,

I assume the magnets do not work.

Biologist Craig O’Connell, who wrote the previously mentioned paper The Effects of Permanent Magnets on the Southern Stingray (Dasyatis americana) and the Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) claims that commercially available products like shark deterrent magnetic bracelets have no reliable effect on a shark:

Craig O’Connell, founder and director of O’Seas Conservation Foundation in New York, devoted his doctoral research specifically to the effectiveness of magnets. He and other experts warned against placing faith in commercially available anklets and bracelets bearing small magnets.

“The magnet is far too small to have a sufficiently large magnetic field to have any sort of reliable impact on a curious shark,” O’Connell said, noting that sharks even ate the devices (before spitting them back out) in his trials.

Consider that the size of the magnet used in O’Connell’s (successful) study is slightly larger than a standard mason brick. Not only is that unrealistic to wear, but as my father pointed out: You would really have to avoid any submerged iron pipeline!

Still, I think there’s a lot of interesting research that could be done here.  Some questions I have:

  • What is the approximate diameter of the magnetic field created by the six N52 magnets?
  • What is the effective diameter the stingray can detect the magnetic field field?
  • What magnetic field strength is necessary for the stingray to detect it?
  • What is the behavior of the stingray once it detects the magnetic field: Fight or flight?  In other words: Do the magnets repel or attract stingrays?
  • Does this magnetic field created repel or attract other animals – such as sharks?
Sharkbanz Shark Deterrent Bracelet

A company called Sharkbanz makes this shark-deterrent bracelet.

At the end of the day, “the jury is still out” on magnets as repellents for sharks and rays:

From the same USA Today article:

Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University at Long Beach, agreed: “The jury is still kind of out on repellents, and much of the science is done by the manufacturers.”

“The challenge is that there are a lot of different species of sharks, and situations vary,” said Lowe, who also works with Nat Geo on “SharkFest” programming.

“You might find something that 40 to 60 percent of the time will work, and, fair enough, that’s better than nothing. But any time you give somebody something like that, they tend to do riskier things.”

3. A behavioral deterrent: Stomping (not shuffling) your feet

Verdict: Effective

Shuffling doesn’t work. Stomping does.

You can greatly reduce your chances of a being injured by a stingray by exhibiting proper behavior.

I’ve written this separate post on why the practice of shuffling your feet to avoid stingrays is pure nonsense, and why stomping your feet works better.

Beyond stomping, the best way you can avoid the possibility of stingray is to limit your possibility for injury: Just get on your board as soon as possible.

4. Enhanced vision: Polarized surfing sunglasses

Verdict: Effective

Polarized surfing sunglasses help you see through water.

For many years I’ve worn polarized surfing sunglasses.

One side benefit of polarized surfing sunglasses is that they help you see through (calm) water by reducing glare and reflections.  Hence, you can see stingrays in shallow water a lot easier.

Of course, the primary benefit is that they cut down on the harmful UV rays which cause cataracts and eventual blindness. They are also much more comfortable because you don’t have to squint, and I’ve found you can see the outside waves before the rest of the lineup.

I’ve written this post about the various surfing sunglasses I’ve tried.

The winner and the pair I currently wear?  Silverfish’s Road Trip Sunglasses.  I’ve had these for over 10 years now.

  • Buy them now on Amazon

Silverfish’s Road Trip Sunglasses
Silverfish’s Road Trip Sunglasses

5. Sound deterrent

Verdict: Not Effective

Underwater noise maker.

A local swimmer and scuba diver named Trisha Dunne contacted me in 2020 to let me know that she had been experimenting with a small underwater noise maker attached to anklet band.  The noise maker supposedly can be heard underwater from up to 30 feet away (by humans).

In September of 2021, Dunne emailed me to let me know that she had been stung again – this time while wearing the shaker.

Stringrays do indeed have ears, and are sensitive to sound. A PhD Student at the Florida Institute of Technology named Cierra Braga explains that research has shown that stingrays hear within the range of 50-1000 Hz, whereas us humans hear between 20-20,000 Hz. Braga puts this perspective: “The lowest note for a cello is like the low sound exposure that the stingrays have a greater sensitivity.”

Summary, conclusions & parting thoughts:

What I do to protect my feet

At the end of the day, I’ve acquired some hard-earned knowledge about stingray injuries and avoiding them.

I can’t and won’t tell you what to do to protect yourself from stingray injuries. But I’ll summarize what I do now, and you can draw your own conclusions based on the fact I have not been stung again since doing all this:

  • I wear booties every time I surf. Even in the summer. My assumption is that this won’t prevent any injury, but it will reduce the severity of any injury.
  • I no longer have the magnets secured to the booties. I removed them since I don’t believe they do anything.
  • I wear polarized surfing sunglasses, which allow me to see through calm water easier and visually identify stingrays while entering the ocean.
  • I stomp my feet from the moment I get in the water until the moment I get on board. I do not shuffle.
  • I get on the board as soon as possible.

Are stingray populations (and hence injuries) on the rise?

A few years ago, I was free diving just south of Beacons Beach in Encinitas, about 100 yards out.  (I had no booties with me.)

I saw one stingray.  No big deal.  Then 2.  Then 4.  Then 12.  I started thinking this is weird, I’m just going to get out.

On the way in, in 6 feet of water, I watched the entire floor turn to stingrays. I could not even see the sand on the bottom.

I believe they were breeding.

This was an odd thing to experience, and it made me realize just how many there are out there, sharing the same areas that surfers do every day.

If you’ve been surfing in recent years, you may get the feeling that stingray injuries are oddly on the rise.  My hypothesis is that their populations are on the rise.

On December 29, 2017 an “infestation” of stingrays in Huntington Beach stung 73 people, with 45 people injured the day before: Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis said that in his 40 years as a lifeguard in Huntington Beach, he had not seen as many stringray injuries in one day.

I do not believe reliable data exists on the number of stingray injuries over time. Lifeguards in California only track injuries in two categories: major or minor injuries.  That’s all the data that’s currently available.

I have some data on when peak periods for stingray injuries may be for the last several years, based on Google Analytics data assumptions for visitors to the stingray-related pages on this site.

Doing the research

I’m not a materials engineer or a marine biologist.

If you have the means, time and education to do more research, please do so.  Let me know your results, and I’ll happily include your findings here.

Similarly, if you are aware of any scientific literature on this topic that already exists and I have not already included it here, please let me know and I will update this post.

Be safe out there and have fun.

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