Moby dick's tours in gran caymen...help!!!

[BOUDREAUX]

My father who is mid 70's is so nervous about swimming with the sting rays since Steve Irwin was killed. He thinks this might happen to him, plus he's not a good swimmer and just does'nt believe me about being in waist deep water. He thinks that wild means wild!!!

 

All comments are welcome and lookforward to having my father read them.

 

B

[Froufie]

Have seen lots of young children, elderly and all type of cruisers at stingray city. Very tame and nothing to worry about - I am sure that if these animals were dangerous they wouldn't be encouraging the tourists to pet them, hold them and even kiss them!

 

....and I'm the squeamish type!

[*Mach*]

For future reference, the proper place for a question like this would be the Cayman Islands ports of call board.

You can have your father look at the site at this link:

http://www.grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/StingrayCity_GrandCayman.htm

 

For his peace of mind, this is the important bit of information:

Southern Stingrays are NOT Bull Rays from the unfortunate "Irwin incident", they are a different species, Southern Stingrays are tame, shy and incredibly friendly.

 

:)

[anthsmom]

Leaving today and we booked Moby Dick Tours...will let you know how they are and how the excursion goes when we get back. I'm excited but nervous as well but from what I understand Steve Irwin didn't die because of the sting it was for pulling it out :eek:

 

Woot woot...heading to the the port shortly :D

[md10074]

he's not a good swimmer and just does'nt believe me about being in waist deep water.

 

I didn't go with Moby Dick, but the water when I got off the boat was actually more like chin deep. You have swim out a few yards I guess before it becomes waist deep. I don't know how to swim at all and scared of the water, so this was a little problem for me, and I just kind of hung around the ladder. :o The guys had no problem bringing me a stingray to touch and they looked very gentle.

 

My husband and son were in there petting them, and had fun, and my son, who also doesn't swim (but isn't afraid of the water like me), had no problem walking in the waist deep water.

[mrpayroll]

I'd have him go along and let him see how the conditions are when you get there. He then could decide if he would enjoy it. The conditions are different based on the weather. When we went, the waves were pretty high and some older persons decided to stay on the boat and watch. Have seen pictures where water was calm as could be.

[Bayou Lady]

My father who is mid 70's is so nervous about swimming with the sting rays since Steve Irwin was killed. He thinks this might happen to him, plus he's not a good swimmer and just does'nt believe me about being in waist deep water. He thinks that wild means wild!!!

 

All comments are welcome and lookforward to having my father read them.

 

B

 

 

I took Moby Dick last year and the water was not deep at all--waist deep. Being able to swim is not needed. Moby Dick is the best as they are a small group and they let you feed the stingrays and help you kiss one for luck. It was a memorable experience.

[Sargent_Schultz]

The water could, in places, be over someone's head.

 

Nobody is going to make him get in the water if he doesn't want to.

 

The kind of ray that killed Irwin was a bull ray which you won't find at Stingray Sandbar.

 

The southern stingrays at the sandbar will remind you more of pets begging for food.

[elvisrocks]

Me and my DH went on the Moby Dick Stingray tour a few years ago, in fact it was the same week that Steve Irwin had died. We had heard about his accident while on the ship. Once we got to the sandbar, it took me about 30 minutes to talk myself into getting in the water. I am only 4'11" and very scared of the ocean. I am so glad that I did this and I had the best time. I even kissed a stingray or two. The tour guides were very informative and very helpful. I hope you and your family have a great time and enjoy it as much as I did.

[pjhootch]

We went with Moby Dick and they were great with the Stingrays. They really helped with people who were afraid and with the kids. The snorkeling part of the trip at the reef... your father should stay on the boat, but the stingray part the water is very shallow and the crew that goes in the water is very helpful and comforting. They take a small group of people and try to stay out of the crush of the big tours.

[Dawn125408]

We used Moby Dick three years ago and LOVED it. Water is shallow where the stingrays are. As other person stated, have him stay on boat when snorkeling. I can swim and the current where we snorkeled scared me a little, so I got back in boat. Great excursion though.

[benvan2]

We did the stingrays with my dad that was 73 at the time. The water was about 4ft. My dad got out for a few minutes but didn't really like it. He really enjoyed the boat ride and watching all the sting rays from the boat, just not so much in the water with them. I am not a swimmer and only 5ft tall, so they gave me a life jacket, because sometimes the waves went over my head.

[zqvol]

My father who is mid 70's is so nervous about swimming with the sting rays since Steve Irwin was killed. He thinks this might happen to him, plus he's not a good swimmer and just does'nt believe me about being in waist deep water. He thinks that wild means wild!!!

 

All comments are welcome and lookforward to having my father read them.

 

B

 

First - Wild does mean wild, the sting rays are in no way tamed or domesticated. They do know where to come for food, and sting rays by nature are very gentle unless stepped on. You will be given instructions on how to shuffle your feet to avoid stepping on them.

 

The water is about 4 feet deep.

[ISurfTooMuch]

While the stingrays are wild, they have been used to being near people for generations, so they're very friendly. They aren't scared of you and ready to defend themselves; they want to come up to you in hopes that you have food. My DW and I did this tour with a different company for our honeymoon, and we weren't at all afraid. The water isn't over your head, and, in any event, you're wearing a life jacket and surrounded by many other passengers and crew, so there's no danger at all.

 

Is it technically possible that someone could be stung? Yes, but it's also possible that the dog you pass on the sidewalk during an evening stroll could bite you, give you rabies, and kill you. Anything is possible, but that doesn't mean it's at all likely, and thousands upon thousands of people swim with the stingrays every week with no incidents whatsoever.

 

Oh, and merely being stung by a stingray wasn't what killed Steve Irvin. He happened to surprise a stingray that happened to sting him in such a way that the barb went into his heart. It was not only an unlikely accident but also a freak accident in that he was stung in precisely the spot where it would do the most damage.

[drew sailbum]

The best description to to say the stingrays are habituated to people. The same population group of stingrays comes to the sandbar year round looking for an easy meal.

 

The rays are wild. They can, and do, go off on their own to hunt for food the natural way if rough weather prevents the tour boats from going out.

 

Yes, a few people to get injured each year by the rays. A very small number are stung. More often people end up with a bruise, a hickey really, from the powerful suction of the stingray's mouth. On rare occasion this can break the skin or even cause a moderately large wound in those persons with fragile skin.

 

To keep things in perspective, our elderly visitors are MUCH more likely to injured by simply tripping and falling while walking around George Town than by any sort of injury from a stingray.

[CMM]

We were on Moby Dick's tour and it might be a good choice for your Dad. We DID spend part of the the time on the boat and you can enjoy it from there if that is his comfort level. There is alots to see as there are tons of people to watch interacting and holding the sting rays out of the water for photos etc. They can bring one over to the boat too.

 

Also Moby Dicks boat has bench style seating that is covered in areas & a stair type decent into the water. These would be nice if their are mobility issues. We are in our 40's but my husbands knees bother him if he has to sit flat.

 

My daughter & I were the only ones a littled freaked by the rays on our day and we easily got back on the boat and watched my son/husband from there.