TERROR ON OUR BEACHES FROM BENEATH THE SEA

ARE DEADLY BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS ATTACKS ON THE RISE?

- By Emma Levett

In the list of dangerous creatures inhabiting our shores, the blueringed octopus doesn't get much of a look in.

But with a recent increase in stings and hospitalisations, including Sydneysider Jaun-Paul Kalman just last month, it's something victims and experts are warning people to be more aware of.

Father-of-two Jaun was swimming at Balmoral, a popular beach in Sydney's North Shore on February 5, when he saw an octopus latched onto his thumb.

Paralysis soon took over his entire body. He was rushed to hospital and placed into an induced coma.

As one of the most venomous sea creatures in the world, the blue-ringed octopus contains enough venom to kill 26 adults within minutes.

Terrifyingly, they are found across Australia's East Coast in tidal pools and reefs. They also live in Sydney Harbour, as Paz Moreno knows all too well.