Adam Clancy pulls barb from his foot months after stepping on stonefish, Moreton Island, Queensland

A man who survived stepping on a stonefish and brushed off the pain with alcohol was stunned to squeeze one of the deadly creature’s long barbs out of his foot months later.

Adam Clancy, 31, gained international media coverage after posting video of himself nonchalantly talking about how he stepped on a stonefish and was treating the pain with wine and whisky.

The professional photographer from the NSW town of Tenterfield was wading off Queensland’s Moreton Island on the night of April 22 with camera in hand when he trod on the well-disguised stonefish.

Photographer Adam Clancy stepped on a stonefish, the world’s most venomous marine animal

Mr Clancy made a video after he stepped on the stonefish where he was remarkably laid back

Not sure what he had stepped on, Mr Clancy still had the presence of mind to take a snap of the fish swimming away to show a friend who was with him.

Stonefish are the world’s most venomous fish and the poison they deliver from their 13 long bristling spikes can induce fatal paralysis, breathing difficulties and heart failure.

A course of anti-venom is recommended for those who are impaled on their barbs.

Mr Clancy asked his friend if he could keep taking photos.

‘My mate confirmed it was a stonefish and told me to go ashore as I’m about to be in a lot of pain,’ Mr Clancy told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I went inside and another friend got a bucket of hot water for my foot, then I waited for the paramedic.’

Despite the swelling of his foot and the potential deadly effects of the stonefish venom, Mr Clancy did not got to a hospital

Mr Clancy continued on as normal but battled a sore foot for months after standing on the stonefish

‘He arrived and monitored my vital signs, which is when he told me I was ridiculously relaxed about it, despite the pain being a high eight out of 10.’

The paramedic offered painkillers to Mr Clancy but he refused them, a decision he laughs about in hindsight.

‘Yeah, (painkillers) probably would’ve been the better option but two glasses of whisky and a bottle of Shiraz helped me sleep that night,’ he said.

The paramedic also suggested Mr Clancy go to a mainland hospital the next day but instead he stayed on the island and went back to work the next day.

Mr Clancy posted a TikTok video where in a deadpan manner, with a glass of red wine in hand, he confides he has just stepped on the ‘world’s most venomous fish’.

‘So, the paramedic just told me that most people go into shock and pass out from the intense pain,’ he says.

‘So, apparently I’m the most chilled-out guy in agonising pain ever.’

Stonefish venom can induce heart failure and those injected are advised to get anti-venom treatment as soon as possible

The video is captioned: ‘POV you could die within 1 hour but you know that pain is temporary and worrying doesn’t help.’

The post has gained over nine million views and led to Mr Clancy featuring in US publication Newsweek.

Mr Clancy had the philosophy that physical pain subsides over time, something he outlined in a TikTok video earlier this month.

‘OK, to be real it was pretty f***ing agonising,’ he said.

‘But I thought at the time I’ve been through pain before and that pain has gone away.

‘Sometimes, you know, you’ve gone through heartbreak and that’s gone away.

‘It’s taken years but it still goes away, physical pain doesn’t last long.

Mr Clancy made another TikTok video to document what happened when he decided he needed to do something about his sore foot

After making an incision with a face razor and squeezing his foot in the shower Mr Clancy was astonished to see one of the stonefish’s 2cm long barbs come out

‘It’s gonna go away. It’s there for now. It’s gonna be a couple hours maybe a couple days.’

However, the pain did not go away but being ‘a stubborn Aussie bloke’, Mr Clancy kept limping along and didn’t see a doctor.

‘Months later I was still having trouble walking properly on that foot and that’s when I got serious about seeing if anything remained in my foot,’ Mr Clancy said.

Using a face razor to do some home surgery Mr Clancy was astonished to extract a 2cm-long transparent stonefish barb, resembling a splinter of clear plastic, out of his foot.

He documented the experience in another TikTok video posted on July 14.

‘I’ve had troubles because I thought there was a little bit left in me, a little bit of the barb from the stonefish, and it’s been giving me a lot of pain recently,’ he said.

Mr Clancy, who hails from the NSW town of Tenterfield, is currently based near Uluru

‘So, last night I got one of my face razors and I made a little incision and that didn’t really help.

‘But today in the shower I just really squeezed it, really just f***ing squeezed my foot … and this f***ing thing popped out. Look at the f***er.

‘I was not expecting a barb that f***ing big to come out.

‘It was, like, vertical in my bone.’

Mr Clancy, who is staying near Uluru in the Northern Territory, said his foot was finally on the mend.

‘The foot is recovering fine now that the barb is out,’ he said.

How dangerous are stonefish? (from Queensland Museum)

Stonefish are the most venomous of all fishes. They are found throughout shallow coastal waters of the northern half of Australia. The fish usually lies motionless, often partially buried in the substrate and perfectly camouflaged among surrounding coral, rocky reef, rubble, or aquatic plants.

The stonefish has 13 sharp strong dorsal fin spines that are contained within a sheath of thick skin. At the base of each spine there are two venom glands that discharge their contents along ducts in the spine. When disturbed, the fish erects its spines, but maintains its position on the sea floor.

Stings usually occur to the feet of swimmers or waders who have ventured away from clean sandy substrate and closer to the more complex bottom structure preferred by the stonefish. Multiple spines can often penetrate affected limbs, resulting in more extensive envenomation. The pain is immediate, excruciating and may last for many days. Muscular paralysis, breathing difficulties, shock and sometimes heart failure and death can ensue.

To prevent stonefish stings, sturdy footwear should be worn on reef flats, or while wading on soft-bottom substrates adjacent to rocky or weedy areas. An antivenom for stonefish stings has been developed. In the event of a sting, the victim should leave the water, apply first aid and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

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