15 Oct, 2024 @ 11:37
2 mins read

Exclusive: Brit invents razor device that removes jellyfish stings – after his sister was attacked by a Man O’war in Spain

A BRITISH entrepreneur has created a device which stops jellyfish stings causing serious harm after his sister was blinded in Mallorca. 

Mark Dyer, a 60-year-old investor from London invented the Stingblade in 2018 after his sister was stung by a Portuguese Man o’ War. 

Stingblade works like a razor, removing the stinger from the skin and preventing the venom from seeping into the body. 

Avid swimmers, divers and lifeguards can wear the simple but ingenious device as a band around their arm, ready for any emergency. 

Stingblade can be worn as an armband for easy access Photo: Stingblade

Mark understands all too well the effects of an untreated sting after his very own sister, Tracey, was blinded after a Portuguese Man O’War wrapped its 60ft long tentacles around her. 

She was swimming in a Mallorca bay when the ‘tragedy’ occurred.

“The pain she experienced was like sticking your fingers into an electric socket and turning it on,” said Mark. 

Tracey’s stings left her with lasting scars
Photo: Stingblade

“Eventually she got out and the lifeguards plastered her with goo but that pushed the poison in and she lost her eyesight.”

Although she has now regained half her vision, her experience pushed Mark to create a solution. 

“I’m a keen diver and swimmer and get stung incessantly, one day I thought I could use a diving knife to get the stinger out and it worked a treat,” he said. 

Mark is an avid swimmer and diver

A while later he was swimming in Italy when he was caught in a shoal of jellyfish, suffering 25 brutal stings over 20 minutes. 

Once he escaped and got back to his hotel, he grabbed a razor and ran it all over his body to remove the stingers. 

That night, he went out to dinner as normal, feeling only a ‘slight itch.’ 

Mark hails from a family of manufacturers, namely, his father was a key part of Wilkinson’s Sword and invented the bonded edge blade. 

The device is designed like a razor to remove jellyfish stingers Photo: Stingblade

It seems only fitting that a razor was the key to Mark’s new product. 

Made from recycled plastic in the UK, the Stingblade uses a razor like system to safely and easily remove jellyfish stingers. 

The armband can be worn while swimming
Photo: Stingblade

“It should be in every beach bar, every yacht charter, every diving company. I’d love to get the Spanish coast guard to adopt it as protocol. For once the Spanish would love the English,” he told the Olive Press

“If you get stung it can ruin your entire holiday because you get itchy, inflamed skin and you’ll be in a lot of pain. The Stingblade will stop that” 

Now, the Stingblade team are touring boat and yacht shows in Europe and beyond, with interest from the Philippines, South Africa, Brazil and France. 

Currently, it is available to buy on Amazon or on their website in both blade and arm band versions. 

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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