Almost Got Stung by A Stingray City

The tail is where the stinger is. Look at my face when that tail whips out the water. My buddy tells me those are sting rays not pet rays. This is a must do excursion with waist high crystal clear water with stingrays everywhere.

[emoji33][emoji33][emoji33]

You didn't almost get stung by a stingray. That wasn't even close. And even then, the correct "title" would be "almost got hit in the face by a stingray tail" or something to that effect.

I've been hit in the face, chest, arms, back, etc. dozens of times. No injuries, other than a scrape once, which wasn't even close to as bad as carpet burn or scrapes from falling off a bike.

Fear-mongering won't help encourage people to visit this attraction...they won't watch the full video or read your comments, they'll just see the title and jump to conclusions.

For the full rant, see below.

------------------------------

Dangerous Stingrays?

Stingrays are generally non-aggressive. When threatened, their first reaction is to swim away. This is easy for them to do at Stingray City, since it's just a section of open ocean and the stingrays aren't penned up in any way. They don't just attack you and sting you (although they can be fairly enthusiastic and/or boisterous in their quest for squid chunks). They may sting you by reflex/accident if you step on one. That's why you are not permitted to wear water shoes at Stingray City, and why you are told to shuffle your feet rather than lift them, so that you will not accidententally step on one.

There are many, many types of rays. Steve Irwin was stung by a bull ray, a totally different type than the southern rays at Stingray City. It is also suggested that what killed him wasn't the sting itself, but the fact that he was stung in the chest and then pulled out the barb. There is also the issue that the bull ray was a wild ray and unused to people, while the Stingray City southern rays have spent years and years learning that people are not the enemy, they're a ready source of squid snacks.

For most stings, which are extremely rare, Wikipedia says that the remedy is usually hot water to dilute the venom plus antibiotics. I don't personally know anyone who has ever been stung, so I just have to trust my research on that part of the issue.

From my experience at Stingray City, which is fairly extensive, the usual "injuries" from stingrays involve "hickeys" from the suction of their mouths during a search for squid (say when your DH has stuffed a chunk of squid down your bathing suit for fun) or accidental scrapes from their tails when they swim by you too fast looking for squid and the tail kind of whips against you. These injuries are very minor, though, and are far from life-threatening.

You'll notice the common element here is squid. Stingrays at Stingray City are only interested in one thing...the snacks that they know you've brought with you. No squid = no stingray attention at all. They're worse than cats that way. If you aren't giving them treats, they've got very little interest in you. They may swim by, just to double-check for squid, but as soon as they realize you haven't got any, they'll swim away again fairly quickly. If you are at all nervous about them, stay away from the squid and the stingrays will stay away from you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingrays

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin#Death

I've been to Stingray City dozens of times, and never had a problem with the stingrays. (With my DH, sure, but never the rays. ) It's very safe as long as you behave with respect and common sense.

After seeing how many people are there with those creatures, and how "beggarly" the rays are, I feel sorry for the poor animals. This is not how they're supposed to live...it's as bad as zoos, IMO!

After seeing how many people are there with those creatures, and how "beggarly" the rays are, I feel sorry for the poor animals. This is not how they're supposed to live...it's as bad as zoos, IMO!

There's a big difference between animals in the wild and animals at a zoo. The stingrays are free to come and go if they choose to. Zoo animals are not.

Bookbabe, I was thinking the same thing (as your comments above about how he did NOT almost get stung.....) but then after watching and re-reading....I'm thinking, hoping, guessing it was written sarcastically because he freaked out when a tail came near him.

It appears that he is poking fun at himself for freaking out a bit, and not actually thinking he almost got stung.

Maybe the OP can come back and explain, because I too thought, WHAT? Not even close to almost getting stung.....

Stingray City, never have never will.

Bookbabe, I was thinking the same thing (as your comments above about how he did NOT almost get stung.....) but then after watching and re-reading....I'm thinking, hoping, guessing it was written sarcastically because he freaked out when a tail came near him.

 

It appears that he is poking fun at himself for freaking out a bit, and not actually thinking he almost got stung.

 

Maybe the OP can come back and explain, because I too thought, WHAT? Not even close to almost getting stung.....

I hope the OP does come back to clarify, and even better to edit the thread and video titles. The problem with online sarcasm and jokes (if that's what it was) is that the average reader will skim and take it at face value instead of reading or watching the whole thing to get to the truth.

It's hard enough for some visitors to overcome the urban legends surrounding Steve Irwin's death...there's no need to stir up more fear and controversy over what is actually a great experience.

A Southern Stingray's stinger is nearer the base of the tail, not the tip.

Tour operators can show you the stinger if you ask. Easy enough.

yeah thats it I was just having fun with it. This was one of the coolest things I have done :) I looking to edit the title but can't find that button

Glad you had a good time.

Keith

yeah thats it I was just having fun with it. This was one of the coolest things I have done :) I looking to edit the title but can't find that button

Thought so! Thanks for the video and the clarification. Your face was pretty funny! Loved the slo-mo!

After seeing how many people are there with those creatures, and how "beggarly" the rays are, I feel sorry for the poor animals. This is not how they're supposed to live...it's as bad as zoos, IMO!

I agree, I will never do this excursion....you can say they are "in the wild" and have the free will to come and go, but they are going to go where the food is, so if they are allowed to feed them on the excursion to entice them, then it is true that it is no different then the zoo....

It's like the bears in Yellowstone, people fed them for years and years, they became so friendly, then the government decided, better not feed the wildlife and they started attacking people for food, they don't know any different...

The tail is where the stinger is. Look at my face when that tail whips out the water. My buddy tells me those are sting rays not pet rays. This is a must do excursion with waist high crystal clear water with stingrays everywhere.

 

1.Stinger is not on tail.

2.No harm done even if stinger hits you.

3. Agree about must do.

After seeing how many people are there with those creatures, and how "beggarly" the rays are, I feel sorry for the poor animals. This is not how they're supposed to live...it's as bad as zoos, IMO!

They can leave any time they want no one control them. Why you feel sorry for them ? Do you feel sorry for the birds who drink from fountains by houses? or when they eat from men-made bird feeders? :rolleyes:

A Stingray Hickey can happen. :eek:

A crew member had the fish they were feeding them on his hands when he touched the inside of my thigh while I was going down the latter.

A stingray thought it was delicious and sucked it off.

It didn't hurt ... but was somewhat embarrassing to have a "hickey" in that location when wearing a bathing suit or shorts. :o ... :D

LuLu

I was told that sting ray city started because fisherman would go and use the sand bar to clean fish and dump whatever they didnt use over board. Thus stingrays started coming to feed.

I was lucky to go to stingray city with very few people around. I was told that because there had been no ships come in the last few days that they were hungry. Never went to a dolphion or killer whale show, i find that wrong, just my opinion other can do as they wish, I was told that becasue there had not been ships in the last few days they were hungry so I was happy to have fed them.

1.Stinger is not on tail.

2.No harm done even if stinger hits you.

3. Agree about must do.

No harm done? WRONG! While standing knee deep in water in Cozumel in 2010, I was stung in the leg . Now, I have broken arm bones, leg bones , ribs, vertebrate, hip, skull, etc. and I know I have a very high pain tolerance. The pain from the stingray sting was by far the worst pain I have ever experienced. I was somewhat lucky, if you can call it that. Even though my foot swelled up to the size of a football, the stinger did not break off in my leg. If the stinger breaks off, surgery is required. The doctors in the emergency room in Cozumel gave me the wrong antibiotic to combat the inevitable infection (at that time, only ONE antibiotic worked on this particular infection) and of course my leg and foot became infected such to the point that I was warned by doctors in the USA that I might have to have my foot amputated if the correct antibiotic did not fight the infection very very quickly. The correct antibiotic worked and, thank God, I did not need to lose my foot.

I have been a scuba instructor for over 30 years. I have dived with stingrays hundreds of times and I used to consider stingray stings to be fairly innocuous, along the lines of a bee sting. They are not. They are VERY serious injuries. I still dive with stingrays, but I am extremely careful now.

No harm done? WRONG! While standing knee deep in water in Cozumel in 2010, I was stung in the leg . Now, I have broken arm bones, leg bones , ribs, vertebrate, hip, skull, etc. and I know I have a very high pain tolerance. The pain from the stingray sting was by far the worst pain I have ever experienced. I was somewhat lucky, if you can call it that. Even though my foot swelled up to the size of a football, the stinger did not break off in my leg. If the stinger breaks off, surgery is required. The doctors in the emergency room in Cozumel gave me the wrong antibiotic to combat the inevitable infection (at that time, only ONE antibiotic worked on this particular infection) and of course my leg and foot became infected such to the point that I was warned by doctors in the USA that I might have to have my foot amputated if the correct antibiotic did not fight the infection very very quickly. The correct antibiotic worked and, thank God, I did not need to lose my foot.

I have been a scuba instructor for over 30 years. I have dived with stingrays hundreds of times and I used to consider stingray stings to be fairly innocuous, along the lines of a bee sting. They are not. They are VERY serious injuries. I still dive with stingrays, but I am extremely careful now.

... :eek: Glad all I got was a stingray hickey!

... :eek: Glad all I got was a stingray hickey!

That statement is the funniest thing I've read in a long time. Thanks for the laugh!:D

I loved Stingray City and our guide told us that at night the rays go back to the deep waters to feed and sleep, but in the day they will come to the sandbar...now you tell me how this even compares to a zoo... they can still feed in the ocean and they are not pinned in at the sandbar... It was a most fascinating time to watch them up close and touch them as they swam by, and I even got to feed one and he did get a little rambunctious and bit my finger. It didn't really hurt, they have very small dull teeth, but when I got home from our cruise, I did have an infection in the bite and had to take antibiotics for 7 days...but like my Dr. said...they are wild and no telling what goes in their mouths, so an infection from a bite from one is a likely thing, but nothing serious to get excited about....I will do it again in a heartbeat, and I won't do zoos and animals in captivity...totally different, and until you have done the excursion and seen the difference, you probably have no clue what a fascinating experience it is with such wonderous creatures!!!!

We love this! We love it so much we have done it twice. Yep, they get excited and whip their tails around. Look how close this tail come to me when taking a picture of a friend. It's the tail...not a stinger (which is close to the body).

We love this! We love it so much we have done it twice. Yep, they get excited and whip their tails around. Look how close this tail come to me when taking a picture of a friend. It's the tail...not a stinger (which is close to the body).

 

This was definitely one of my best life experiences! I once had the luck of swimming with a dolphin in the wild too. I disagree with swimming with them in a captive environment.

My cousin got stung by a ray near San Diego. I don't know what kind it was, but it hit an artery, and blood was spurting pretty badly. His foot swelled way up, and he was hospitalized for several days.

That being said, we did Stingray City, and it was awesome! I think these creatures are very tame at this point. We stopped at a snorkeling spot down the reef a ways, and a stingray there swam right up to me and pretty much gave me a hug, which was awesome. I still wouldn't approach one in the "wild", meaning somewhere far from where people have been regularly feeding them. My daughter's finger did get scraped by the stingray's rough gums while feeding it squid, so be just a bit careful there. It was fine--just a surface scrape.

Yes, we're messing with nature here, but sometimes I think it's worth doing that with a few animals in order for people to gain an appreciation that will help them more deeply respect the rest of them. Maybe people who have played with a stingray will be less likely to leave plastic on the beach.