MARATHON, Fla. (March 20) - An eagle ray leaped onto a boat off the Florida Keys on Thursday and stabbed a woman with its barb, knocking her to the deck and killing her, a Florida wildlife investigator said. A woman who was on a boat with her family off the Florida Keys died Wednesday after an eagle ray leapt out of the water and struck her in the neck with its barb, local media reports said. It's unclear whether the 55-year-old Michigan woman was killed by the eagle ray's barb or by falling after the attack. The animal is seen above on the boat.
"It's a bizarre accident," said Jorge Pino, an agent with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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I just found this out.
What does everyone think about this? Do you think this happend a lot and we don't hear about it.
We did the tour in the Caymen Islands. Stingray City. I found the Stingrays there to be very gentle.
We are planning on this tour again in May.
MARATHON, Fla. (March 20) - An eagle ray leaped onto a boat off the Florida Keys on Thursday and stabbed a woman with its barb, knocking her to the deck and killing her, a Florida wildlife investigator said. A woman who was on a boat with her family off the Florida Keys died Wednesday after an eagle ray leapt out of the water and struck her in the neck with its barb, local media reports said. It's unclear whether the 55-year-old Michigan woman was killed by the eagle ray's barb or by falling after the attack. The animal is seen above on the boat.
"It's a bizarre accident," said Jorge Pino, an agent with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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I just found this out.
What does everyone think about this? Do you think this happend a lot and we don't hear about it.
We did the tour in the Caymen Islands. Stingray City. I found the Stingrays there to be very gentle.
We are planning on this tour again in May.
Darlene
Thanks alot for that. I'm leaving in 9 days for a cruise, and I was planning on doing the Stingrays in Grand Cayman. Does anyone know, has anyone ever been stung there? Now I'm getting nervous!
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I had read several months ago that a sting ray got into a boat that contained a grandfather and his grandchild and got the grandfather with its barb but it didn't kill him. It too was off the coast of Florida. After the Steve Irwin incident I decided I didn't want to get too close to them at all. And NOW I know I don't.
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According to the news this morning (Friday) The rays are known to jump from the water. It is common for them to do this. The woman was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is not believed that the ray attacking her. They also said the cause of death was when she hit her head in the fall.
Laura
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It sounds like this was a freak accident, not intentional by the ray at all.
I have to say tho, when I was snorkling in St. John last year and saw one, I got out of the water. They seem a little creepy to me. I know people say they can be tame in Caymen but they are wild animals nonetheless.
Just an FYI - When feeding the Stingrays be careful to feed them properly - Tuck your thumb !! I was feeding one in Feb and it bit my thumb (Thought it was food). I still have the scar to prove it.
They are very safe as long as you follow teh rules and dont get too aggressive with them..
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My husband swam with them in Nassau and were told that the barbs had been removed. They were very gentle but there was NO WAY that I was getting in with them!! I'm just a chicken or just smart!
We did do this excursion in the Caymen Island a few years ago.
If you follow the instruction of the tour guide, you will not have any problems.
Remember these guys get into the water with the stingrays every day and more than once. I don't think they would put themselves in any danger if there is any.
The news said today that the unfortunate lady was riding in the front of a boat going 25 MPH when the Eagle Ray jumped out of the water and landed right on her. It also said that rays will do this when they are trying to escape predators, give birth, or remove parasites. It was poor timing, for both.
My family did the Stingray City Tour when we were in the Grand Cayman last summer without incident. We all even got to hold one of them who was named, "Jennifer" and she was so gentle, even seemed to like being petted. They told us to avoid putting our hands near her mouth or risk getting a "serious hickey"....lol. Like msblackjack said, be sure to do the stingray shuffle to avoid stepping on them. Also, no fins are allowed while you are mingling with them, for your safety, as well as theirs.
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The sting rays in Grand Cayman are accustomed to being around people and see us only as a source of a quick snack....that being what we feed them. Sting rays do not have teeth. Their mouths are just suckers, hence the "hickey" caution. If anyone gets bitten, it was probably a fish that got greedy and tried to sneak in for a bit of free food. Living in Florida, I have a lot of respect and caution about all wild things, in the water and out. I do the sting ray shuffle when I go swimming. But, I loved the tour in Grand Cayman.
Along the same lines, if you do a dolphin encounter or swim with the dolphins, you are dealing with trained animals used to people. Dolphins in the wild can be dangerous. Usually not, but all wild critters can be unpredictable, even me.
Marty
Eek! We're doing a stingray excursion at Half Moon Cay in September, and I totally balked at booking it because of the Steve Irwin incident. The boyfriend had to do some major begging to get me to say yes. This story just makes me that much more nervous about being around stingrays. I'm going to end up just like Samantha Brown, squirming and "EEK"ing my way thru it!
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Even @ Six Flags Marine World in California, they have an exhibit for touching and feeling Stingrays. I have never been afraid before. I just might now!! Like Grand Cayman, they are used to being spoiled and having crowds around them. Like another poster said, there may be different types/breeds of stingrays. Happy Cruising!!
The concerns that people have are understandable BUT I think we need to keep a certain perspective on this topic. My thoughts? For my cruise I have to travel in a car to the airport. I then have to travel in an airplane to another airport. Then travel in another car to get to my ship. Then travel out of the country for 5 days on the ship. After I return I need to travel in a car from the ship to the airport...I think you get the idea. I could fall down my stairs, get in a car accident, a plane crash, get mugged in a parking lot, get shot, trip and fall in front of a bus, have a heart attack or maybe not even wake up the day of my cruise - all before I even get on the ship that would take me to swim with the rays in G. Cayman where there is a CHANCE that one of them may harm me. We take chances every single day. Looking forward to swimming with the rays!
This shouldn't be called an " attack "--- from all indications now that the incident has been checked out --is that the sting ray jumped from the water, which they are prone to do---the boat was going approx. 25 mph. and the hapless lady just happened to get hit by the ray. A freak accident but not an attack. I'm fairly sure the ray wasn't just cruising about waiting for a boat to come by so it could launch an attack against someone.
Like bookitnow said, there are so many things that can happen, you can't worry about them all, especially something so freakish as this.
Go--cruise--boat--swim with the rays-- all will be well--probably.
I was scared to death to do the stingray city excurssion but once i did it i laughed at myself most of the time it's fear but don't decide whether you want to do it just because of what i say. for me it's like everytime i got to geth shots i get really creped out when i shouldn't..
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We did the sting ray excursion last month in Grand Cayman, had a great time. When you first get in the water, everyone is screaming because of the unknown. I did the same thing, but my husband said, "This is your excursion, you're staying in here" -- too funny. Then you just end up laughing and having a lot of fun. We had several younger kids in our group, too.
ive been told by guides and reports on the net that no one has ever been stung by a ray in the caymans on that excursion, tho if someone wants to be stupid and harrass one terribly they might do it. They want you there cuz your feeding them lol
Of course the media blew this out of proportion, it wouldn't have been news worthy otherwise. What a shame!
We were going on this excursion no matter what this article said.
I am sure if it was dangerous, Carnival would have removed it from their "things to do" excursions.
The other thing about sting rays is that they can only sting someone deliberately if they are lying flat on the bottom of the ocean. They need the leverage in order to flip that tail up. Guides in the Cayman's tell everyone NOT to jump up and down....which most do anyway.
The incident above had to have been a total freak accident. I used to be terrified of rays. When we went on the excursion, I did NOT want to get into the water...it was full of sting rays. (DUH)
Hubby shamed me into it and I loved it. They were so gentle. He bought me a stuffed one later that day to commemorate my overcoming my fears. It was a truly awesome experience. His name is Sparky and is the only stuffed critter I have ever been really attached to...and at my age.
Marty
Of course the media blew this out of proportion, it wouldn't have been news worthy otherwise. What a shame!
We were going on this excursion no matter what this article said.
I am sure if it was dangerous, Carnival would have removed it from their "things to do" excursions.
Thanks again for all the information
Darlene
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i agree darlene, because from personal experince they spoil those little sting rays and unless you did somtin really bad or on purpose they don't attack
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On that same Sting Ray City Tour, one of the crew picked up a smaller ray when I asked if "the smaller ones are babies?" Turns out the smaller one's aren't babies but males. As he was holding it and talking about the species, the little booger brought his tail up over his back and all I could see was that barb staring back at me....lol. Even those bad boy stingrays like to show-off their muscle to us impressible goils......
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....I grew up on the beach, and served in the Coast Guard all over the place. I have never heard of a ray stinging anyone, except when stepped on, except for Mr. Irwin who probably spent a little too much time up close and personal with that animal. As for the accident in Florida, it was just that. Years back, a gentleman died the same way, except he was hit by a barracuda square in the chest. I have been around rays many times while diving, they always avoid folks. Afraid to go in the water? Driving scares me more.
We hear of fish jumpng into boats alot during fishing trips here in Florida where we live. The conditions have to be just right though for the freaky thing to happen. In the NJ shore where I used to live I had heard of fish jumping into boats from guys in the marina where we kept our boat. Stingrays though? Never heard this until I read this story in the newspaper. So sad for the family and the woman.
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