What’s the most painful sting in the world?

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There are several more strong contenders in the stinging sea creature department, starting with the Australian box jellyfish, considered the most lethal jellyfish in the world. Its tentacles, which stretch up to 3 metres (9.8ft), leave long stripes on its victims. “You get these whip marks all over the skin that look like you’ve been attacked by a cat’o’nine tails,” Gerswhin says. “It feels like boiling oil.”

The fireworm, a bristly marine worm that looks like a centipede, defends itself using urticating hairs – tiny spines that detach and stay behind in the skin of anyone foolish enough to touch it. (Some divers call it the “fibreglass worm”.) Scientists believe both the structure of the spines and the venom they carry contribute to the excruciating, burning pain, which reportedly can last hours.

The stonefish masquerades as a rock in sandy shallows, coral reefs, and rock pools – unsuspecting beachgoers sometimes step on the fishes’ sharp back spines, which deliver a tremendous payload of frost-blue venom. A burning pain that can last up to 48 hours is accompanied by dramatic swelling. According to the University of Florida, numbness and tingling can linger for weeks.

Which is ‘worst’?

To be able to crown a definitive king of sting for land, air and sea, some foolish soul would have to volunteer to cross categories – experience both the worst insect and marine stingers – and Peterson says it won’t be him. The jellies are simply too dangerous and carry a real risk of death, Peterson says, adding some species are “horrifically not worth dealing with”.