Sting Ray City

History:  The way that Sting Ray City works is really unique.  In the late 70s as fishing ships came into Grand Caymen Port, they would dump off the guts of the catch in a nearby sandbar.  The stingrays would smell the food and come at this time to feed.  The fishermen continued to do this regularly and noticed the rising number of stingrays.  Starting in the 90s ships started taking tourists out there to feed the stingrays.  While stingrays can be harmful and sting, it's not dangerous at all.  They were very tame and felt very soft on the bottom side and like leather on the top side.  I was quite frightened by their size initially, but then I got used to it.  The female stingray can weight anywhere from 120 up to 300 pounds!  They are the larger ones.  The males are usually around 40 to 70 pounds.  To feed these stingrays we held squid in our hands.  We clenched our hands w/ our thumbs inside the fist, otherwise they will bite your thumb.  And you never wipe the squid juice on your self, otherwise the stingray will come suck on it and try and eat whatever you wiped the squid on.  Enjoy the stingrays, and please don't step on them!

AH!  Help a stingray is eating me!

Matt holding the stingray.

One of the guys looking at the stingrays.

Another male stingray swimming around at our feet.

Rachel Petty holding a stingray.

The guide showing us some stingray tricks.  Just get ready!

This is the bottom of a female.  She spits too.

Another view of a stingray.

This one is really serious and hungry.  It's chow time.

Looks like he might get eaten too.

Here's what he saw.  A male stingray!  Not so big.

Now that's one big stingray.  It's bigger than me!

Mark Allen holding a stingray.

This is the bottom of a male.  They don't like to be lifted.

Here's the male again.

Here's one up pretty close.

Thanks guy.  He saved me from being eaten.

Tour guide comes to rescue him in time.

Yikes!  A female.  Now that's BIG!

Now it's Matt's turn to hold her.

This guy holding a stingray.

So they are like a water gun and spit water!

I thought it was in the middle!  Darn they're fast!

David Garza holding up the stingray.

This next section are the miscellaneous pictures that I took.

A view of the pond area from my room's balcony.  They had a pool with some turtles in it.

Another view of the boats that brought people into the port.  This is Grand Caymen's only port.

I thought this sign was awesome.  "Please conserve water."  And there's the ocean!  Lots of water!

Here are the cruise liners.  There were 5 total in at port.

Some cruise ships that were in at port.  A boat bringing the passengers to the island for a break.