According to the authorities a diver has been recovering in the hospital after being stung by a venomous lionfish off Florida’s Atlantic coast near Boca Raton.

Assistant Chief Michael LaSalle of Boca Raton Fire Rescue told the local media that the man had been diving in about 100 feet of water when he was stung on December 29, felt tingling in his upper body and surfaced.

He said that the man in his mid 50s had been brought dockside and flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach because it had a hyperbaric chamber especially used to treat injured divers.

The man, who had not identified immediately, was reported in stable condition.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mentioned on its website that lionfish are generally non-native in Atlantic waters. They have few predators and their venomous spines can be very painful.

By Prakriti Neogi