Swimmers are being warned about a rise in weever fish stings.
The director of the Tramore Surf Life Saving Club in Waterford said weever fish are a small fish that bury themselves in sand on a low tide and tend to "flick their dorsel fin" into feet as people pass by.
Volunteer with Water Safety Ireland Lola O'Sullivan said it is "excruciatingly painful" and the pain can last up to two hours.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said best way to deal with the sting is to put your foot in warm water and advised anyone who is stung to ask shops or coffee shops to help them if there is no lifeguard on duty to assist.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
She said the problem normally only occurs in shallow waters and people can protect themselves by swimming at high tide or wearing booties when going into the water.
Ms O'Sullivan said there are more year round swimmers since the Covid-19 pandemic.
She added that she noticed small jellyfish in the water last week, which she said is unusual.
