Seriously....stingrays?

[love280mickey]

I thought these were dangerous creatures, and we all know a wonderful Aussie killed by one.

What am I missing here that people WANT to go swimming with them?

I know I must be missing something????

 

[toontoy]

its fun, are you talking the excursion in grand cayman or castaway cay?

I have only done the one in Grand Cayman. Its on a reef and fishermen have been feeding them for so many years they are domesticated and used to people, I really wouldnt call them wild.

 

[BoosGram]

I don't know about external excursions, but the stingrays on Castaway Cay have had their stingers removed so it is safe to be in the water w/them. We fed them out of our hands; it was very cool.

 

[disneybeachprincess]

They are "tame"...the stingers/barbs are taken off...it is so much fun & they are very soft to touch!

 

[ilovetexas]

I've been to Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman twice and came away just fine, as did everyone else on the sand bar both days. It's a wonderful experience! DH was too scared to get out of the boat. Wimp.

Steve Irwin was doing something he shouldn't have been (trying to ride the sting ray) and got a barb through his chest. Go figure. All you have to do on the sand bar is be careful where you step. Those sting rays have been "tamed" after decades of tourists showing up every day to feed them; they aren't afraid of people like the wild ones that got to Irwin were. You'll be really scared/timid at first, then you'll be laughing and petting the sting rays. Plus, if you kiss one, you get seven years good luck!!

 

[got2travel]

Stingrays don't attack, they are gentle, social animals. Yes, they do have a long, sharp barb at the base of their tail, but it can only hurt you if it punctures your skin. And due to the position of the barb, that would be really hard to accomplish.

The stingrays in Grand Cayman do not all have the barbs removed. Our tour guide held a stingray to show us the barb and let us touch it. I wasn't scared at all. The ray wasn't try to lunge towards us or anything, and didn't even flinch when we pet it.

 

[RainyJ]

Last Thursday at Castaway Cay, a stingray swam right by us in the family beach section! We were standing in the shallow water, about thigh to waist deep, and we heard some one yell, "Stingray!" I saw it just as it slowly swam by, and then I grabbed my DS and we followed it for a little while, trying to get a better look. He was swimming toward the snorkeling area, probably back to where they do the excursion. It was cool to see, because we weren't expecting it at all!

I've also done the Stingray City excursion at Grand Cayman years ago, and it was awesome! It's intimidating at first, but then you relax.

 

[Zandy595]

How do they keep the rays at CC. Are they penned up when not doing the "adventure".

 

[DisneyMom70]

It is a big area that has nets around it. My DH and DD did it, and they loved it.

 

[TXDCLfan]

I thought these were dangerous creatures, and we all know a wonderful Aussie killed by one.

What am I missing here that people WANT to go swimming with them?

I know I must be missing something????

And I love to dive with sharks tons of fun and never had an issue with any of them

 

[kcashner]

Stingrays at CC are in a protected area with nets. Yes, there are a few in the snorkel and family beach areas that got in as youngsters and grew up (same as the barracudas!)

We were told by the animal care people on CC that when they knew the island was going to get hit by a hurricane, they took down the nets knowing that the rays could fend for themselves better in deeper water. Within days or re-establishing things on the island, all but 2 of "their" rays had come "home," and within weeks, all had returned. Seriously, why not? At CC they are fed, have social interaction, etc. In the big blue ocean, they have to fend for themselves.

Yes, the rays at CC are quite used to interaction and handling, as are those at Stingray City. At Stingray City, nothing keeps them there--they are there because they want to be.

 

[HsvTeacher]

When we were snorkeling at CC last month, we had a couple of stingrays swim up to us. It was awesome to be able to swim next to them!

A few years ago, they had a big storm at CC the day before we arrived and several stingrays got out of the contained area. One swam up to my DH while he was swimming in the family beach area and let him pet it.

 

[Mike&JanHuff]

cool the excursion on Castaway Cay... curious though - I don't think Steve Irwin was trying to ride a stingray. I think it was just an unfortunate accident in which he startled a ray that was buried under the sand , when he got over the ray it startled and acted on instinct. It still makes me sad to think of his family without him...they truly seemed to have a love that many never find.

Back to the rays... my son did the excursion with me and it was a bit too much for him. He was 8? I think at the time but he is kind of a timid child so others that age might love it! I know I did!

 

[ilovezach33]

I thought these were dangerous creatures, and we all know a wonderful Aussie killed by one.

What am I missing here that people WANT to go swimming with them?

I know I must be missing something????

There are several different places that now have stingray interactions.

The aquarium in Corpus Christi, TX has that. Seaworld in San Antonio, TX has it, as well. I think they usually take the barbs off, which makes them perfectly safe.

 

[OrcaPotter]

The accident with Steve Irwin was just that--an accident. He was unfortunately in the right position at the wrong time. He startled the ray, which reacted instinctively, and bad luck resulted.

The rays at most tourist destinations are used to people and injuries as the result of stingers are very rare.

 

[jenf22]

We did this in May and our 5 year old LOVED it. We actually booked the cruise a couple of days after he turned 5 so he could do it. He didn't snorkel after the feeding, he stayed on the beach with grandma. My father, husband, and I snorkeled and enjoyed seeing them.

I don't think they remove the barbs. I think the people there told us they trim them really short. I think... May was a long time ago

I also believe the previous poster - Steve Irwin did a lot of stupid things to tick off animals, but the stingray accident was just an unfortunate accident. I think he did just startle it and it reacted. When you do the excursion on Castaway Cay, they tell you to always enter the water doing the "stingray shuffle" so you don't step on one that may be buried in the sand.

Back to the OPs question - to each his own!

 

[markuehl]

the sting ray encounter was one of the highlights of our trip it was really cool my son almost did not go i told him he could just watch if he really did not want to get in the water we first listened to a quick education about the rays and were told their stingers were trimmed like finger nails the stinger is close to the body and the one she showed us was about three inches long very worth the money and my nervous son LOVED this

 

[MiaSRN62]

We just booked Stingray City in Grand Caymen ---it'll be our third time there this Oct.
Also, I know wild stingrays have shown up at the adult beach at CC. They are cool creatures.

 

[wendyoconnor]

Feeding the stingrays at CC was a highlight of our trip. I didn't snorkle with them but I really enjoyed feeding them, a couple even swam close enough to my legs that I could feel them. I was very very nervous at first, I don't like to touch fish or have them near me. Unlike the lakes I have been where you can't see the fish, the water is so clear that you can see the rays, The CM explained to do the "stingray shuffle" when entering and leaving the water. We don't like to be stepped on and neither do the stingrays, being startled is when they might sting, their version of crying out. By doing the "stingray shuffle" the ray won't be startled or stepped on.

The stingrays at CC are smaller rays, not the giant ones that live in other parts of the world.

We saw two stingrays while at Trunk Bay in St. John on the same trip.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

To the OP, you can't live your life in fear because something had happened to someone else. Cars are deadly & dangerous. People are in accidents with them every day yet we don't go thru life afraid to ride in cars. You gotta apply logic to what happened to Steve Irwin. He had a high risk lifestyle to begin with. You have to believe that what happened to him was both an unfortunate accident and one of those situations where it was his time. Doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, when it's time it's time. That stingray's barb could've gone thru his hand, his arm, a leg, etc. yet he got the million dollar shot square in the heart. That's not a big target. It was one of those out-in-left-field occurances that you're more likely to be struck by lightning than to have happen. I've seen it happen to others in my life, friends suddenly gone from the weirdest thing nobody would ever think of. Doesn't mean anyone else is at any additional risk of having the same thing happen to you. Right?

I would love to do one of the stingray excursions!