Commonly encountered in coastal tropical and subtropical ocean environments worldwide, and in some warmer temperate areas as well, stingrays are incredibly graceful creatures which have captivated man’s attention ever since mariners first took to the sea. While they can be dangerous if provoked, they are curious and intelligent animals which can add an element of magic to a dive. Let’s take a closer look at these often misunderstood rays.
Beauty and Grace: Stingray Basics
Closely related to sharks, stingrays are cartilaginous fishes which belong to the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes. There are eight distinct families of stingrays, including eagle rays, butterfly rays, whiptail stingrays, round rays, sixgill stingrays, deep water stingrays, stingarees, and river stingrays. Most of these have at least one barbed sting attached to the tail, with two grooved undersides and a pair of venom glands beneath. The stingers, which are modified from dermal denticles, are covered with a thin layer of skin in which the venom is heavily concentrated.
Besides their long, whiplike tails and sharp stingers, which can reach a length of fourteen inches in some cases, stingrays have disc shaped bodies which allow them to hide beneath sand, which they agitate with their winglike fins in order to create better camouflage. Their eyes are situated on top of their bodies, and their mouths are underneath. Some stingrays have sucking mouthparts, while others are equipped with a pair of powerful plates capable of crushing mollusk and crustacean shells. Like sharks, they use smell and electro-receptors to find prey, as they have relatively poor eyesight and are not equipped to see what is beneath them. They normally settle on the bottom to feed, with only eyes and tail visible beneath the sand.
Usually found along coral reefs, and more often seen at high tide than at other times, stingrays bear litters of five to thirteen pups. If you’re lucky enough to see the rays courting prior to mating, you will witness a graceful dance in which the male pursues the female closely, often following a swirling, graceful path. Once the rays mate, the female can either store sperm for later egg fertilization, or gestate immediately. In one case, female stingrays and Sea Life London Aquarium delivered pups even though they had not been in the presence of a male for more than 24 months. Depending on species, gestation takes from about 3 to 9 months.
Diving With Stingrays: Stay Safe
The most important rule to follow when diving with stingrays is that one should never startle an unsuspecting ray. These animals do not aggressively attack humans when unprovoked, but stings can and do happen – and in the most severe cases, these stings can be fatal.
Most stings happen when a ray is accidentally stepped on. When shore diving in an area where stingrays may be present, shuffle your feet as you move along the bottom. Stingray barbs are razor sharp and can cut right through fins, booties, and wetsuits; don’t take risks and you’ll cut your chances of being stung.
Normally elegant, peaceful, and curious, stingrays tend to glide a few inches above the sand or reef when feeling relaxed. If a ray evades you, allow it to go on its way; a tail strike can happen without warning if the animal feels insecure. If you are stung by accident, you will need to seek medical attention, since a stingray’s sting is coated with hooked barbs that are precisely angled to allow them to enter a victim smoothly but which are difficult to remove without exacerbating the injury.
First aid is difficult since stingray venom contains enzymes that cause muscle contractions followed by cell death. Immersing a sting in hot water for at least thirty minutes can sometimes help, however this rarely helps a deep sting.
While stings rarely happen when divers and snorkelers are careful, the venom can cause local trauma that usually involves pain and a little swelling. In more extreme cases, muscle cramps can occur due to prolonged contact with venom, especially if a barb has broken off in the wound. In cases like this, surgery may be required to remove any remaining fragments.
Additional ways to avoid being stung include always leaving a stingray with an escape route; don’t hover over or directly in front of a ray, since it may feel trapped and strike. Stay out of the strike zone, which tends to be anywhere on top of the ray, by staying slightly behind and to the side so that it cannot reach you without turning its body; rays cannot swim backwards.
Where to Dive With Stingrays
Different species of stingray can be found in different environments and under a variety of circumstances. For instance, in the Cayman Islands and Caribbean, there are several dive sites which have been set aside specifically for stingray experiences. Here, not only can divers swim with large, fairly docile southern stingrays, the rays can be fed by hand in some cases. Feeding rays in an uncontrolled environment is never recommended, so if this is something you wish to experience, be sure to do so in an area where both dive operators and rays are accustomed to being fed by hand.
Rays are often found in the same environment as their close cousins, sharks. At Hol Chan Marine Sanctuary off Ambergris Caye in Belize, stingrays gather daily with nurse sharks for feedings, and in Tahiti, one can experience an even more close-up experience in shallow water, in which the rays sometimes brush up against visitors. While this can be an exciting experience, fish and shark feeding is controversial and at some point, the practice may be stopped.
In most places, encounters with stingrays happen by chance; as their populations are widely distributed, you can find them at a variety of popular dive sites across the planet.
By taking appropriate precautions, you can easily enjoy diving with these magnificent, soaring creatures. Always remember that you are a visitor in the animal’s home, give marine life plenty of space, and if you want to get close up photos, invest in a camera that will allow you to do so without risk.