Weever Fish Sting: What to Do, How Long It Hurts and How to Avoid One

What is a weever fish?

The one paddlers tread on is the lesser weever, a small, plain fish up to about 15cm (6 inches) long. It has a sandy, yellowish body that tapers to the tail, eyes on the top of its head and an upturned, grumpy-looking mouth. It is an ambush predator. It spends most of its life buried in the sand with only its eyes and back showing, waiting for shrimps and small fish to pass.

Its defence is venom. The black dorsal fin on its back carries three venomous spines, and there are more spines on its gill covers. When the fish is buried it leaves that dorsal fin raised, pointing up. It does not attack people. It stings in self-defence when a bare foot comes down on it.

Where and when do weever fish sting?

Weevers live all around the British coast, but only on sandy ground, and they are most common in the south and south west, which includes plenty of Cornish beaches. The Wildlife Trusts list them as being seen from June to October, so most stings happen in summer and early autumn, when the water is warm and the beaches are busy.

They like the shallows near the low water mark, where the water is warmer. That means the classic sting happens to someone paddling, wading or running into the sea in ankle-deep to knee-deep water, around low tide, on a sandy beach. Rocky shores and shingle are much less of a risk. If you plan a beach day around the tide, our tide times page shows when low water is.

What does a weever fish sting feel like?

Usually there is no doubt about it. Cornwall Council describes a sharp stab at first, with pain that can increase quickly. One RNLI volunteer stung at Chapel Porth said she thought she had trodden on broken glass. The foot can swell and redden around one or more small puncture marks.

How bad it gets depends on how many spines went in and on the person. RNLI lifeguards say they have treated toddlers quite content with a foot in warm water and adults in tears. Without treatment the pain can last up to 24 hours, though it usually eases much sooner once the sting is in hot water. The NHS describes the main symptoms of sea creature stings as intense pain where you are stung and an itchy rash.

What should you do if stung by a weever fish?

On a lifeguarded beach, go straight to the lifeguards. All RNLI lifeguards are trained to treat weever stings. If there is no lifeguard, this is the first aid the NHS and RNLI advise.

Step 1: get out of the water and sit down somewhere safe. Rinse the area with seawater, not fresh water.

Step 2: remove any spines left in the skin with tweezers or the edge of a bank card. Do not touch the spines with bare fingers.

Step 3: soak the stung part in water as hot as the person can tolerate, for at least 30 minutes. Test the water first with your own hand or elbow, or the person's unstung hand, so you do not scald them, and top it up as it cools. Cornwall Council's advice is 30 to 90 minutes, keeping going until the pain becomes bearable. If you cannot soak it, wrap it in flannels or towels soaked in hot water. A flask of hot water from the café, mixed with a little seawater in a bucket, is the usual beach fix.

Step 4: take a painkiller such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, following the dose on the packet.

Step 5: once the pain has eased, look at the puncture wound and keep it clean. The NHS advises against covering or closing the wound. Lifeguards check and care for the puncture and may put a bandage on if it needs one.

Most people need nothing more. The NHS guide to sea creature stings and the RNLI bites and stings page set out the same steps.

Why does hot water work on a weever sting?

Hot water is the treatment both the NHS and the RNLI give, and it is what lifeguards use. The Wildlife Trusts say to get the stung part into water as hot as you can bear as quickly as possible, and that the pain should ease after about 15 minutes. Keep the soak going for the full time, though, because the pain can return if you stop too early.

The catch is that a stung foot hurts so much that people can scald themselves without noticing. That is why the advice is as hot as can be tolerated, tested first on skin that has not been stung. Never use boiling water straight from a kettle, and be extra careful with children, older people and anyone with diabetes or poor feeling in their feet.

When should you see a doctor or call 999?

Go to a minor injuries unit if the pain is severe and is not going away after hot water and painkillers, if the sting is in the mouth or throat or near the eyes, or if the wound later looks infected or is not healing. If you are not sure, call NHS 111 for advice.

Go to A&E or call 999 if someone who has been stung has difficulty breathing, chest pain, a fit or seizure, severe swelling around the sting, severe bleeding, vomiting, or feels lightheaded or loses consciousness. These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction. The NHS says not to drive yourself to A&E: get someone to drive you, or call 999 for an ambulance.

If you are not on a lifeguarded beach and someone has a severe or life-threatening reaction, the RNLI says to call 999 or 112 and ask for an ambulance. If someone is in trouble in the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. Our coastal safety guide covers beach emergencies more widely.

What not to do after a weever fish sting

Do not wee on it. The RNLI is blunt that this does not work and only works in films and television. Do not put ice or a cold pack on it: the NHS advises against both. Do not use boiling or untested water. Do not pick at the spines with bare fingers, and do not cover or close the wound.

Do not try to find or kill the fish either. It has done nothing wrong, it is almost impossible to spot, and you risk a second sting.

How do you avoid being stung by a weever fish?

Wear something on your feet. Beach shoes, water shoes or wetsuit boots put a barrier between the spines and your foot, and they are what the RNLI, the Wildlife Trusts and Cornwall Council all recommend, especially in the sea around low water on sandy beaches from June to October. Flip-flops are better than nothing for walking along the water's edge but tend to come off as soon as you wade.

Some swimmers and water safety groups suggest shuffling or stamping your feet as you walk in, so that buried fish feel you coming and move off. It may help, but it is not a substitute for footwear, and shuffling over shells and stones can cut a bare foot.

Choose a lifeguarded beach. RNLI lifeguards patrol many Cornish beaches in the summer season, and they are trained to treat weever stings on the spot. Our guide to the RNLI in Cornwall has more on the work they do.

Weever fish stings and children

Children are stung often because they spend hours running in and out of the shallows barefoot. Put them in water shoes or old trainers for paddling, crabbing on sandy shores and rock pooling. Our rock pooling with kids guide and responsible family crabbing guide have more on keeping beach days safe and kind to wildlife.

If a child is stung, keep them calm, take them to the lifeguards if there are any, and test the water temperature carefully on your own skin before their foot goes in, because children scald more easily. Use children's paracetamol or ibuprofen at the dose on the pack for their age. Watch them for the warning signs listed above and call 999 if any appear. Showing older children what a weever looks like, in a book such as The Great Cornish Fish Book, helps them understand why the shoes stay on.

What if you catch a weever fish on a rod and line?

Weevers have a reputation for injuring fishermen as well as bathers. Anglers fishing baits over clean sand, from beaches and boats, sometimes hook them, and the spines are just as dangerous on the end of a line as in the sand. The venom also still works after the fish has died, so take care when clearing a bucket of mixed catch or gutting fish.

Step 1: do not grab it. Weevers wriggle, and the spines are on the dorsal fin and on the gill covers, which is exactly where you would hold most fish.

Step 2: keep it on the ground or in the water and unhook it with a long disgorger or long-nosed pliers, holding the line rather than the fish. If you must restrain it, pin it gently with a folded wet towel, never your bare hand.

Step 3: if the hook is deep, cut the line close to the mouth rather than risk your fingers, and return the fish to the water.

Step 4: if you are stung while fishing, stop, and treat it exactly as above. Keeping a flask of hot water in the car or tackle bag in summer is a sensible habit for beach anglers. Our guides to fishing from a beach and sea fishing rigs cover the rest of a day on the sand.