Vacationer wants to jump into the water: When tourist guide points out detail, she is shocked
Mauritius - What's that? Italian Fabiana Palana was on vacation in Mauritius and was having a really good time. But then she made the acquaintance of a particularly sinister creature.
Just don't step on it!
Fabiana (27) wanted to get to know the country and its people and decided to go on a boat trip to the dream beaches of Mauritius. But when she wanted to jump off the boat into the sea at the end of the experience, her guide held her back. "Don't move," said the local. "Or do you want to die?" he added, pointing to an inconspicuous rock.
Because what Fabiana didn't know was that it wasn't a stone. It was: A particularly sinister creature. Just a few meters away from her, buried in the fine sand, was probably the most poisonous fish in the world. A stonefish.
"I was a bit scared and a bit curious," Fabiana told Newsweek. "I had never seen a stonefish before and it really surprised me that the local man could spot it under the sand. It was invisible to me," she described.
"It's very dangerous if you step on it," the guide explained and immediately took care of the dangerous fish - while Fabiana filmed the action for TikTok. The guide can be seen poking around in the water with a spear. "Do you see the white sand?" he asked the Italian woman. Then he stabbed and hooked the dangerous predatory fish.
"I would never have seen that," the terrified tourist had to admit.
TikTok: Woman meets stonefish
Stonefish are considered to be the most poisonous fish of all
Fabiana later took a closer look at the poisonous fish.
The creature has dozens of fins, is dark brown and has a large mouth. The fish has two poisonous spines on its back. If you step on a stonefish, you risk being stung immediately. The animals are widespread around the Indian Ocean, where they settle on rocky beaches in particular.
Stonefish are not considered aggressive towards humans. Their preferred prey is usually smaller. Nevertheless, dicey encounters occasionally occur when unknowing beachgoers find and touch a stonefish.
This is why Fabiana's stonefish was rendered harmless by her guide. Because these fish can be a serious danger, especially for children.