Stingrays are fish. And a fish out of water is a fish out of its natural element. Rays breath water through their gills extracting life-sustaining oxygen from the water. Just as the human lungs cannot extract oxygen from water nor can the rays extract oxygen from air. When a ray is removed from the water it is unable to control the oxygen intake. The ray essentially is "drowning in air", much the same as if you took a child and held it underwater.
On any given day at the sand bar you will see two types of "Stingray handlers" in the water with the tourists.
There are those who gently and respectfully hold the rays in the water, giving the tourist a chance to interact with the rays, photograph them, and learn to respect and enjoy them.
There are also those who lift the rays out of the water. Holding them over their heads, or the heads of the tourists, in what is called the "Stingray Hat". Or holding them out of the water using them as a "squirt gun" spraying the tourist as the ray desperately expels the last of the life giving water from their gills. These handlers are in effect turning the rays in to a sideshow attraction.
Taken fromCayman Net News March 31, 2007
Police had declared the Sand Bar unsafe the day before due to the waves hampering the
maneuverability of boats, people and stingrays. It was felt that in such conditions, tourists were more likely to be involved in accidents with the stingrays or the numerous jellyfish spotted that day.
The announced closures came too late for three tourists who were involved in minor accidents at the North Sound tourist attraction.
Two incidents involved jellyfish stings and the third involved a stingray wound to a man’s arm. One of those injured declined to go to hospital while the other two were taken in and treated for superficial injuries, and released the next day.
Leave a Comment
Grand Cayman
Photos (42)
email me
add as friend
on Mar 5, 2007
Comments for bianchis about Grand Cayman