Lion Fish

[Clarity]

Markus and I saw Lionfish when we were snorkeling off the cliffs at Xtabi.

I was tired of swimming and wanted to get out to rest a bit. The lionfish was right in front of the ladder. I gasped because It was HUGE! It was just kind of hovering next to the steps blocking my way out of the water. When we got closer it did this weird move where it flipped upside down like it was dead. I later found out that this is the "attack stance". I waited until the current pulled it far enough away so I could scramble up the ladder to safety. I was terrified!

Markus was thrilled. He continued snorkeling and saw about six more. He snapped this picture of one with a cheap underwater camera he had purchased at CCLP. I still shiver when I see it.



Has anyone been stung by a lionfish? I hear it's incredibly painful and temporarily paralyzes you. Is that true? I just need to know because I imagine it's easy to accidentally bump into one with your feet or legs while swimming. I just need to know how afraid I should be on a scale from 1 to 10...