PDA

View Full Version : 1000'th Post...anyone ever swim w/stingrays?



Last Real Texan
06-26-2009, 03:44 PM
I had a chance to do this while in the caymans and it was really a trip ....gentle creatures and very prehistoric to say the least...I was in the water with a bunch of people and it got crazy pretty quick and then half the people got back in the boat...They feed them squid to keep them there and they are very used to the people handling them...quite a stange encounter....kept thinking about Steve Irwin...

The thing took place out on a sandbar between Rum Point and the Main Island...very cool


Tex

gcarter
06-26-2009, 05:17 PM
Yep, in '72, wasn't any organized event, just happened to be around them. Just left them alone. Some were pretty big, let them have all the room they wanted.

Donziweasel
06-26-2009, 05:29 PM
Did it in Belize in a Marine Park. They LOVED Boo Boo. I looked over at her, and she was covered in them, and they weren't small ones. She kinda freaked a little......:wink:

Got your message, will call you later......been very busy with the twins....everythings ok, well, as ok as twins get......:bonk:

The Hedgehog
06-26-2009, 05:31 PM
Did it in Belize in a Marine Park. They LOVED Boo Boo. I looked over at her, and she was covered in them, and they weren't small ones. She kinda freaked a little......:wink:
Got your message, will call you later......been very busy with the twins....everythings ok, well, as ok as twins get......:bonk:

Tex is on the way up.

We will have to call and torment you guys from Nickajack

Cuda
06-26-2009, 05:47 PM
Back in about 1974, I was hanging off a flying scaffold painting the gas pipe under the Sand Key Bridge, and I saw a Manta Ray as big as a car come out of the water. I've seen other big ones jump in the back waters off Ft Desoto, or saw them crusing along the flats. It's wild to see such a big creature in such skinny water. I was wade fishing off John's Pass once time, and saw a huge sting ray. He had four or five remoras hanging off it.

Last Tango
06-26-2009, 08:31 PM
Two years ago at the Donzi Hometown Gathering in Sarasota, the group boated to a beach north of the Tampa Bay inlet and beached there. While we were standing in the shallow water around our boats, a school of about a dozen rays were swimming up and down the beach past us every few minutes. We didn't bother them, and they didn't bother us. Like two galaxies spinning though each other untouched.

Lenny
06-27-2009, 12:06 AM
Deneen did it at night (10 pm) about 2 months ago down far south. Got the video and her "funnny looking mask face" to prove it. For an hour.

I ,,, chickened out...

Unbelievable :yes:

chappy
06-27-2009, 07:17 AM
January of '98, in Cayman as well.

Awesome experience. A little unnerving for me at first, but a great time once I relaxed. I think the free Margaritas on the Catamaran helped with the experience.:kingme:

McGary911
06-27-2009, 09:31 AM
Another Cayman sting ray veteran here. We were down about 5 years ago. I didn't do the official sting ray city thing, but would snorkel off of 7 mile beach about 2X per day. One day I saw a little one, not much bigger than a garbage can lid, scooting by on the bottom. I decided to follow him. After about 1/4 mile, we came to the whole family. I had visions of Custer's last stand in my head :boggled:. I just hung and watched them for a bit. There were about 10 of them, just swimming around with each other. I didn't really get involved, but was sure cool to see.

tommymonza
06-27-2009, 12:37 PM
When i 1st moved to Naples 25 years ago, i was hanging out over the water on the trapeze of my Prindle catamaran sailboat, and this huge dark shadow starts appearing from the depths along side of me. I was freakin out and even more freaked out when it surfaced directly under the hull of the cat that i was flyin .The Manta had to be 16 feet across.

I since than have owned a parasail business on and off on the Gulf over the last 20 years and spent awful amount of time on the water. I have seen some huge ones jump up out of the water. I always wonderd when the day would come when one would jump in front of the boat.

We went to the Caymans last year, Crazy the way the stingrays are like dogs ,they can't leave you alone . Very cool and a nice experience.

EricG
06-27-2009, 03:25 PM
We did the Cayman thing on a cruise a few years ago...I lasted about 3 minutes and then somehow levitated myself back on the boat...Kath lasted about a minute longer than I did...just not my thing:lobster:

But we did see another one when Snorkling in Trunk Bay, St Johns last time..but it was well below us...and I gave it a wide berth!

EG

BigGrizzly
06-28-2009, 08:14 AM
I was thinking about the Irwin thing and found every tim it happens it is an accident and not by an aggressive ray

Cuda
06-28-2009, 12:20 PM
When i 1st moved to Naples 25 years ago, i was hanging out over the water on the trapeze of my Prindle catamaran sailboat, and this huge dark shadow starts appearing from the depths along side of me. I was freakin out and even more freaked out when it surfaced directly under the hull of the cat that i was flyin .The Manta had to be 16 feet across.

I since than have owned a parasail business on and off on the Gulf over the last 20 years and spent ahuge amount of time on the water. I have seen some huge ones jump up out of the water. I always wonderd when the day would come when one would jump in front of the boat.

We went to the Caymans last year, Crazy the way the stingrays are like dogs they can't leave you alone . Very cool and a nice experience.
There are some huge Mantas out there. The one I saw was as big as a car. I'll never forget that sight. I was 18 at the time.

fegettes
06-28-2009, 01:16 PM
You can ad my name to the "String Ray City" list there in the Caymans, and have the video of it too. However, we had tanks and were in about 20-30' of water. They were like puppies and were so docile, they just wanted to get all over you with the intention that you would feed them with some squid.

Steve

BUIZILLA
06-28-2009, 01:20 PM
I have a very good friend that lives there... actually he was born there.... he was in my office on Monday morning and his face and neck had hickies all over it.. I asked what bar he got mugged in, and he said he got them from the 'rays at that same reef the day before... apparently they got all lovey dovey with him.. :eek: doesn't bother him, he's been doing it all his life there, and he's in his mid 40's

Jraysray
06-29-2009, 09:53 PM
We did that as well but did you kiss one for good luck? Got blasted in the face with that water jet they got installed in their heads.