Are stingrays dangerous?

[MouseMomx2]

Don't get me wrong we have our 5yr DD and us booked for a swim with the stingrays.

When someone voices a concern then give them answers, not don't worry it won't happen to you.

And perhaps you should learn not to post a blanket statement that creates unnecessary concern. First, I was responding to you, not to the original poster. Second, I never said "it won't happen to you". What I said was that the chance of what happened to Steve Irwin happening to anyone else is miniscule and that stingrays are generally harmless.

Personally, I tend to go with the side of fact rather than sensationalized hype, but that's just me. Even Terri Irwin has discussed this and said that what happened to her husband was a one-in-a-million thing.

 

[SunshineCruiser]

The stingray that killed Steve Irwin was a totally different type of stingray that is dangerous in a different part of the world. The type in the Caribbean are very different. Not quite this drastic, but it is like comparing a house cat with a baby cougar (but no I am not comparing any stingray to a cat).

Do your research to ease your mind like I did, and then go and enjoy the wonderful experience of swimming with the sting rays.

We swam with them in Grand Turk they had the barbs, and many people kissed an licked the barbs as the guides held the rays because we were all told of the good luck it would bring. The ones in Grand Turk have been trained to return to a certain spot to eat and interact with people, but they are not netted in and they live in the wild. They are very gentle creatures, and my kids loved it.

 

[kcashner]

As noted, the rays at Castaway Cay are debarbed. They are also tagged and even named. The main handler told us that in preparation for the hurricanes, they take down the nets and allow them to go to deeper ocean where they will be safer. After one incident, within a week, all CC's rays had returned to them. Why not? Food, interaction, etc.

Those at Stingray City in Grand Cayman are not debarbed. It is a very different experience than you'll have at Castaway or Discovery Cove (Sea World sister park). I've been to all 3. I do not regret having done Stingray City--it was really neat. Each individual (or parent) needs to decide what level of risk is acceptable to them in each area of their life.

 

[bumbershoot]

Don't get me wrong we have our 5yr DD and us booked for a swim with the stingrays.

When someone voices a concern then give them answers, not don't worry it won't happen to you.

I thought that mousemom gave a VERY good answer. Information and odds.

People think stingray and think the soundbite about Steve Irwin. So many people have NO idea what happened to him, and either blame him or blame the stingray, etc etc. Knowing that it was a total freak accident, probably never to be repeated, is GOOD information.