Stingray Bit

I am posting this to encourage people to take the "snorkel with the stingrays" excursion at Nassua, Bahamas but to do it with caution when it comes to feeding the stingrays.

The stingrays are beautiful animals. This is a great excursion with a 45 min. boat ride to Blue Lagoon which in itself is beautiful. The excursion is very safe and I would reccomend it. BUT, I would not reccomend feeding the stingrays. Stingrays do not have teeth, they suck the food in. I was feeding one and it sucked part of my hand in. When I pulled it out, there was some slight abrasion and the skin was broken just slightly on the nuckel of my first finger.

Nothing major, I did not have to have medical treatment or even a band aid but it was somewhat painful. So do the excursion, the stingrays are beautiful, the guides will catch them and bring them to the surface for petting, but when it comes time for feeding, I would just watch.

In defense of the sting rays...we did this excursion 3 weeks ago and we loved it. You have to LET GO of the squid, which the guides tell you on the boat out to the sandbar if you would listen to the instructions. Not trying to hack on you, but how many chances do you get to feed a sting ray in their own environment? FEED THE STING RAYS!!!

Jenny 'Soon To Be' Smith

Honeymoon Cruise/Inspiration

I'm with CCNurse on this one. I had my hand "hoovered" the first couple of times, but remembered what our guide on the boat told us about releasing the squid. We went to the one in Cayman, and it was the best excursion I've ever taken!!

You really do not even have to have squid in your hand for them to bite. I learned the hard way. Never got a chance to even grab a squid when the thing "fluttered" up to my arm & took a piece of me with it. Yes it does hurt & I did bleed for 3 days. Good time but for sure not doing it again. Who needs pictures when you have a scar.

Yikes!!!

First I hear about sea lice, so we decide to do the stingray excursion, and now this!!

(in case you can't tell, I am a VERY BIG BABY and become frightened very easily)

Not to mention that handling raw food really irks me too. But I guess I'll take all the great advice from all of you on these boards, and have FUN on my vacation!

~J

Miracle 6/26!!

We did the stingray excursion in the Bahamas too. It does not even have to be hand/arm. I had one come up from behind (after I had been feeding them for nearly an hour) and give me the biggest hickey ever. Guess I looked/smelled like squid by then. It looked like a burn till the next day, then wow! What a conversation starter. A hickey to be proud of!! Anyway, it really did not hurt that bad and we are doing the stingray city thing again in Grand Cayman next month. I'll probably even feed them.

Donna

5th time to go to Sting Ray city. Following the guides and looking at the thousands of people who go without any "hoover" bites or "suck" marks or other "stings" I'd have to say it's pretty safe. Probably safer than crossing a busy intersection.

Biggest damage was from a bird, I guess a sea gull, that swooped down when I had my hand with a squid up in the air and plucked the squid out of my hand and left my had with a small bloody peck mark.

You reckon some people taste better than others!

I haven't heard but the two injuries on this thread of any other injuries.

Any out there?

1/16/05 Conquest Cruzin' Crazies! Better known as the Griswold Cruzin' Crazies)

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Yikes!!!

First I hear about sea lice, so we decide to do the stingray excursion, and now this!!

(in case you can't tell, I am a VERY BIG BABY and become frightened very easily)

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You can watch all the feeding from the boat. When feeding hold the squid at the ends of your fingers and as soon as the rays mouth touches the food let it go.

"You have to LET GO of the squid"

Hey, I DID listen very carefully to the guide but I did not get the chance to let go of the squid, I was hoovered before I could let go. These animals are very powerful and are about 3 feet across (large stingray) which makes them very interesting to watch. I just would not feed them.

Others on this thread said that the ray would just come up to them and create a hickie. I did not see this on our trip.

Again, do not be afraid, Blue Lagoon is truly beautiful, the excursion is safe, I just would not reccomend feeding.

If you have any bit of fish and you touch yourself anywhere on your body, or wipe you hands after handling the squid/fish, the stingrays WILL smell it. That is why the guides will tell you not even to wipe your hands on your suits. Sis and I did the stingray thing in GC and LOVED it, it was an awesome experience and not one to be missed. It is scary at first, thinking you might step on one and feeling them slide past you. But if you miss this experience, you will be sorry.

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Not sure the guide at Blue Lagoon will tell you not to wipe your hands on your suit/self - at least they did not really tell us anything (young guy in a wet suit), so that is a great tip. Of course then I would not have had my souviner. Blue Lagoon also has some reef life around the edges that is fun to look at. Go. Enjoy. It is well worth doing.

Donna

The first time I did the stingray excursion in Grand Cayman, I made the mistake of wiping my hands on my legs after I fed the rays. I had stingrays all over my legs. Wouldn't say it was painful, but I did have some red marks and it was just a little scary. Boy, did I learn my lesson! I was very careful not to wipe my hands on any parto of my body the second time.

Sleazy 3 on Conquest in Just:

I am so glad that I saw this thread! I am planning on doing the stingray excursion during my Valor cruise next year, and my hubby is going to do a different excursion, so he may be a little suspicious if I come back with hickies on me. "Honey, they are from the stingrays - I swear!!" lol Now I know how to avoid getting them in the first place. Thanks!

Debbie

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Thanks for the info. We will take special care! I will not really mention this "problem" to the kids(7,13).Not sure if the 7 yr.old will get in the water anyways!!

Valor Jan.23/05(W.Caribb.)-we are all going and are very excited!!!!!!!!!!!

SeaPrincess Jan./01(W.Caribb)

Sting rays do not bite! They do not have any teeth to bite with! It's all cartillage around their mouth.

The way we were taught to feed the sting rays is to place the squid in the palm of your hand and leave your hand open flat, palm up. Extend your arm out and let the rays will swim over your hand and suck the squid up off your hand.

Yes, I got "nipped" too as a couple of my fingers got in the ray's mouth up to about the second knuckle. Did it hurt? No, I was startled of course but all I felt was just a little pressure. No broken skin, no scrapes, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it can't happen or doubting that it has.

Kelly

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We did the stingray excursion in the Bahamas too. It does not even have to be hand/arm. I had one come up from behind (after I had been feeding them for nearly an hour) and give me the biggest hickey ever. Guess I looked/smelled like squid by then. It looked like a burn till the next day, then wow! What a conversation starter. A hickey to be proud of!! Anyway, it really did not hurt that bad and we are doing the stingray city thing again in Grand Cayman next month. I'll probably even feed them.

 

Donna

I don't think my wife will buy that excuse, "Honest, it's from a stingray not another woman!" but it might be worth a try. ;)

Honestly, we did Sting Ray City Sandbar in Grand Cayman last month and it was one of the highlights of my life.

-Monte

Holding a small piece of squid "flat in your open hand" under water is just about impossible. The water currents will wash it directly off. When you hold the squid, the ray comes up over your hand to get it and it is hard to know exactly when to release it. Although I was being as careful as I could, I was also "bitten" when feeding one. Now it may be true they don't bite with teeth, but their grinding mouths are certainly strong enough to give a nice abrasion. I would do it again certainly. Just take the precautions people share here to minimize your chances of a nip.

Yikes!!!

First I hear about sea lice, so we decide to do the stingray excursion, and now this!!

(in case you can't tell, I am a VERY BIG BABY and become frightened very easily)

Not to mention that handling raw food really irks me too. But I guess I'll take all the great advice from all of you on these boards, and have FUN on my vacation!

~J

 

Miracle 6/26!!

There is a way to avoid Sea lice.

I found out from these boards...there is a product called Safe Sea. It is a sunblock that prevents stings from jelly fish and sea lice. I used it when we were in the Bahamas and we were fine...no rash, no jelly fish bites!!

I bought it on line...I believe it was through Lifestyles Direct.

BTW...When we were at Sea World feeding the sting rays, they taught us to hold the fish (I think they were smelts or something...some kind of small fish) squeezed between two fingers, sticking out above your hand. The rays will then just suck the fish out and you don't get your hand pulled in with it. We never had problems.

What they told us to do on our excursion with Captain Marvin's was to hold the squid loose in the palm of your hand and make sure to tuck your thumbs in so that they didn't get sucked in. You are actually hanging on to the squid with your thumb. It doesn't take much pressure to hang onto it and they can suck them out real easily without sucking your hand into their mouths. No one on our excursion got any hickeys. They did warn us not to touch ourselves after handling the squids too. Especially the guys. :eek:

We are itching to do the Stringray City in GC...does anyone have links to some reputable sites that you booked your excursion with? Or did you go through Carnival?

Thanks! And keep the posts coming!!!!

Stacy

Nativeway comes highly reccomended. I think you can find info about them on the GC board.

http://www.captainmarvins.com/

http://www.nativewaywatersports.com/

Yes!! I'm another victim of the stingray "hickey!"

I was doing everything correct as to how you're supposed to hold the squid, (holding it in your hand as if it were an ice cream cone). When the stingray went over my hand, he sucked up the squid, and latched onto my hand just below my thumb and I had a nice hickey to remember him by! It didnt hurt, and the redness was gone in a week.

I did however; felt sorry for the poor kid that was in our group! He must of rubbed his side after handling the food and had a huge abrasion about 2" in diameter. It bled, and looked awfully sore!!

Just remember!! After handling the squid don't touch any parts of your body, you should be okay!

Moby Dick is highly recommended also! I used them in December and they were great!

http://www.mobydicktours.com

We are itching to do the Stringray City in GC...does anyone have links to some reputable sites that you booked your excursion with? Or did you go through Carnival?

 

Thanks! And keep the posts coming!!!!

 

Stacy

We used Sotos and it was a great tour.