Thread: Stingrays/Children

How do you really feel about your children/grandchildren taking a Stingray Excrusion?

We have been on two Stingray excursions in Grand Cayman (Captain Marvin and a ship's excursion). Glad we were able to experience this. I did get a "Stingray Hickie" ... but that was because my leg was touched with fish food.

Guess age is making me lots more fearful because I'm finally realizing that BAD things can and do happen!

Honestly, I really do NOT want my grandchildren swimming with stingrays!

Yes, they seem gentle and tame ... but they are still wild! On both excursions we were warned to avoid stepping on them. Children are children and could easily accidentally do that.

Am I being overly cautious?

I have accidentally stepped on them at stingray sandbar without incident. It's kind of an interesting sensation and I suspect a mutually "Oops". They get out of the way.

I would instruct kids and adults acting like kids not to go around trying to intentionally stomp on the rays unless they are looking for trouble.

I think the key here is the word "children". They get excited, they get scared, they panic and then boom..I agree Lulu, not letting my Gk's go with the rays.
I think as an early teenager it might be ok, but not below the age of 10-11. JMHO of course.

oh come on! they're easy enough to make! (kidding)

much younger than 10-11 and I think most of the time the water will be over their heads so not sure how they would step on one???? in my experience, the young ones are on the shoulders of the elders, or under supervision (?) on the boat. The big babies are carried...





but sometimes it would be shallow enough...




but I will defer to the maternal instincts.

I would feel uneasy about my 10-yr-old going on this kind of activity. She has touched baby ones at the Long Beach Aquarium, but they are in a tidepool raised from the ground and there's an employee keeping watch at all times making sure everyone follows their instructions (how to touch, etc.).

They give you instruction on what to do and not to do. And they are easy to see. We had no problems and had kids with us...youngest was 10?

The stindrays you encounter on the sandbar off Grand Caymen are, indeed, wild. For a number of (stingray) generations, they have become accustomed to being fed and handled by humans. They come a swimmin when they hear the sound of a boat motor, which they equate with imminent feeding.

But, they do have all their equipment - meaning barbs.


If your children or grandchildren really want to do swim with the rays, you might consider the one in Nassau - at "Blackbeard's Cay."

The captive rays there have no barbs:

In the wake of recent events involving a popular nature television show host, we would like to inform all our customers that safety is our primary concern. Stingrays are gentle creatures and have no intention of harming others. As a precaution, all stingrays are humanely de-barbed for your safety.

- FROM: Blackbeard Cay Stingray Adventure > Bahamas Stingray Tours > Nassau Bahamas | Paradise Island

Wow, I didn't know that. Feel sorry for the rays though. Not natural.

I dunno -
Rays are like the Kitties of the Sea and mony people have their domestic cats declawed... most of them are spioled flat rotten. These rays seem very well cared for, too.

We did the stingray thing a few years ago and I have a great picture of DH petting not one but two at the same time. The excursion we happen to be on advised the parents that they should keep their childeren close at hand and if the children started to get out of control - one of the men from our boat advised the parents to get the children out of the water immidiately.

But since their have been a couple of incidents - I would hesitate taking children into those waters - those stingrays are armed!!