Will the Stingrays Eat Me?

[shmoogrrrl]

Okay, I know that I am paranoid, but I am more than a little afraid of creatures that swim in the water. Even the little colored fish that are the size of my hand make me nervous when they are around me.

That being said, I went snorkeling on our last cruise and had a blast. I was totally in awe of the fishies swimming around and only got a little nervous when I overheard some of the people near us talking about a shark attack that had happened the day before back in VA where I live. (What a nice topic while you are in the ocean! *laugh*)

So, here is my question. My hubby and our traveling companions have expressed an interest in the Stingray excursion or the Dolphin Encounter. Do they come right up to you while you are in the water? Will they be everywhere that I look, or could I go somewhere away from them if they start freaking me out? I would actually love to get that close to a Sting Ray or a Dolphin, but I'd also like to know that I could get away from them if I wanted to.

Anyone want to share their experiences?

Kathy

 

[AnnMorin]

We went with Captain Marvins and it was great, yes the stingrays do swarm you some and it made me and DS uneasy (DH loved it) but our guide was great, we got back on the boat and he CARRIED one over to us to feed and pet. It was very cool and non overwhelming that way!

 

[andicoco]

HEY SHMOOO..... I ATTEMPTED TO "SWIM WITH STINGRAYS" LAST YEAR WITH CAPTAIN MARVINS TOUR IN GRAND CAYMEN.....THEY BRING YOU OUT TO WERE THE STING RAYS "LIVE" .THE WATER IS SHOULDER DEEP SO WE WORE OUR FLOATIES..... YOU JUMP OFF THE BOAT GO OUT A FEW FEET..THEN THEY CALL THE RAYS BY THROWING OUT SOME FOOD...."I CAN DO THIS" I KEPT SAYING TO MYSELF.....SOON I SAW THE DARK SHADOWS COMING FROM AFAR......AGAIN I TRIED TO REASSURE MYSELF....WELL AS SOON AS THEY GOT WITHIN A FEW FEET OF ME I RAN FOR MY LIFE!!!!!I JUST COULDNT DO IT,,,I THINK ITS CUZ I SAW TOOO MANY JAWS MOVIES IN MY LIFE AND I DONT LIKE BIG DARK SHAPES SWIMMIN UP TO ME!!!NOW ON THE OTHER HAND.. MY DD WHO WAS 5 AT THE TIME WENT IN NOO PROBLEM ..SWAM AROUND PETTED ONE AND WITH THE TOUR GUIDES HELP EVEN FED ONE!!!!IMAGINE THAT... EVERYONE SAID THEY WERE VERY DOCILE AND SMOOTH TO THE TOUCH......SO EVEN IF YOU DONT GO IN THE WHOLE TRIP OUT THERE WAS A GOOF!!!!!! GOOD LUCK AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOU DID!!!!

 

[alisbarc]

Hi Smoogrrrl,

Me and my DD11 and DS9 went swimming with the stingrays at discovery cove this past November. There were about 40 of them all around us. We got to feed them. Their mouths are actually underneath them so they have to swim over your hand to get the food. Their mouths are like vacum cleaners with pretty good suction. They just suck in the food and swim away. Its feels a little wierd at first and instinctively we jerked away. However, after a couple of passes the kids were feeding experts. Would of feed them all day if the folks kept passing out food.

Later my DS9 and I went swimming in another pool with really big stingways (4 - 6 feet wide). My DS actually rode a few.

We are going on the 11/08/03 Disney Magic cruise and will be heading to the stingrays.

TTFN

 

[MarkRG]

Been close to swimming with them, but not yet!

There's a place in the Mall of America called Underwater World(cool place!), that has a stingray petting pool. They are extremely docile, and seems to actually enjoy contact with people. The ones in the tank would swim up to let you pet them. I am not sure they even have teeth around their mouth!(I would say not, considering the post that posted before I finished mine) Nevermind if there's food involved! We saw a diver hand feeding one at Coral World and it looked about like my experience with feeding fish.

But most fish won't bite people, and some will actually suck the food right out of your hand in a very gentle manner! I had the opportunity to hand feed the Koi fish at the Disneyland Hotel, you simply make a fist with the food in the middle and very slowly release it and they will pull it thru very gently! I don't have a comparison to how this feels. It's gentler than sucking on your thumb, might be a good way to put it. I wouldn't be afraid, just based on their appearance.

 

[atigeg]

We did the Disney island tour/singray combo excursion, and we were broken down into small groups & went out on multiple boats. The stingrays will bump into you, but our guide explained that's only because they cannot see the food and get overly enthusiastic when they smell it. They are guided to it by their sense of smell. They will not bite or harm you. They are so tame that he lifted them out of the water for photos. The only very minor chance of danger is if you stepped on one, which could provoke it to sting. But the rays in that area do not hide in the sand where they can be trod on...they are all swimming around looking for a free handout. If you are leery, you can stay on the boat and work up your nerve. We spent a lot of time there, so I wanted for a few minutes myself before going it. It was an awesome experience!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Go to this <a href="http://www.cayman.org/divesite/stingray.htm">page about Stingray City</a> and then scroll down to the paragraph titled "How to survive it all". It should provide you with sufficient reassurance.

 

[gdulaney]

We did the stingray tour last September and it was so much fun!

The folks with the tour were very nice. They gave us an orientation and were in the water with us. Yes..I was one of the folks who stood completely still with my hands by my side...but after a few minutes I felt alot more comfortable and I mustered up some nerve, grabbed some stingray food and ended up "feeding" two stingrays.

Have fun!!
Ginny

 

[pjacobi]

According to statistics, more people are killed each year by jellyfish than sharks. Your greatest chance for death will likely be the drive to the port.


-Paul