Swimming with the Stingrays
May. 16th, 2023 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerGrand Cayman Travelog #7
On the water off Grand Cayman - Tue, 16 May 2023, 2pm
This afternoon we went on one of the organized outings of our group trip. Normally we prefer not to do group excursions, but this one a) was a group of my colleagues, people I know, and their +1s; b) was paid for by the company; and c) was an opportunity to go snorkeling— something I've never done before— with guides to help.
The boat motored out across the bay on the north side of Grand Cayman. I could tell by watching the water we passed over that it was not very deep. Mostly it maintained a light green/aquamarine hue, and we could more or less see the white sand bottom. One of the guides explained that until we hit the reef establishing the northern edge of the bay the water's generally no more than 20' deep.
Up ahead I could see it got even shallower than that. It got to about 2-3' deep— though we were at least a mile from the nearest shore— and I could see dark rocks almost breaking the surface. ....Except they weren't rocks. They were moving. They were stingrays!
It turns out stingrays are generally gentle creatures. And like a lot of creatures, they react well to getting their bellies rubbed. The ray in the picture above is "Chip"; she's a female in the school of rays living in this area that's recognizable because of a notch in her right fin from an injury year ago. Female rays are much larger than males. Chip here is almost 6' across. Males are generally only 2-3' across. Chip is also pregnant. That bulge in her topside toward the rear is where she's pregnant with a litter. Stingrays are fish and related to sharks but have live birth.
On the water off Grand Cayman - Tue, 16 May 2023, 2pm
This afternoon we went on one of the organized outings of our group trip. Normally we prefer not to do group excursions, but this one a) was a group of my colleagues, people I know, and their +1s; b) was paid for by the company; and c) was an opportunity to go snorkeling— something I've never done before— with guides to help.
The boat motored out across the bay on the north side of Grand Cayman. I could tell by watching the water we passed over that it was not very deep. Mostly it maintained a light green/aquamarine hue, and we could more or less see the white sand bottom. One of the guides explained that until we hit the reef establishing the northern edge of the bay the water's generally no more than 20' deep.
Up ahead I could see it got even shallower than that. It got to about 2-3' deep— though we were at least a mile from the nearest shore— and I could see dark rocks almost breaking the surface. ....Except they weren't rocks. They were moving. They were stingrays!
It turns out stingrays are generally gentle creatures. And like a lot of creatures, they react well to getting their bellies rubbed. The ray in the picture above is "Chip"; she's a female in the school of rays living in this area that's recognizable because of a notch in her right fin from an injury year ago. Female rays are much larger than males. Chip here is almost 6' across. Males are generally only 2-3' across. Chip is also pregnant. That bulge in her topside toward the rear is where she's pregnant with a litter. Stingrays are fish and related to sharks but have live birth.
no subject
Date: 2023-05-17 06:29 am (UTC)There's a ray touch-tank at the Boston aquarium, and I find them wonderfully pleasant beasts! The ones I've met are nowhere near as large as Chip though, what a cool experience!
~Sor
Stingrays!
Date: 2023-05-17 07:52 am (UTC)Re: Stingrays!
Date: 2023-05-20 12:53 am (UTC)