Swimming with a fever of stingrays (Caribbean)

Swimming with a stingray fever

Yes, that’s what a group of stingrays is called. A fever.  One of the more unusual collection names I’ve seen.  Although my favorite is probably “a murder of crows”.

In many countries bordering the Caribbean, this is something you can do.  Countries include Grand Cayman, Antigua, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Mexico, and Belize.

I did this in Antigua (Ann-tee-guh). It is quite fun and easy to do.

This is my experience, and others will be pretty similar.

The boat to Stingray City for the NCL line tour leaves from an area that has many picnic tables, a few pop-up shops selling the same things you see everywhere, and a bathroom with showers.

The experience starts with a brief introduction to the stingray. Using a stuffed stingray similar to the one on the left, they explain the difference between the males and the females, in that males have 2 claspers near their tails and are smaller than the females when fully grown.
For safety, it is explained that you should shuffle through the sand so as not to step on them and inadvertently get stung. This causes the tourists to all bring up Steve Irwin who died in a bizarre (and unlikely to happen to you) stingray accident.

Additionally, they explain how to feed stingrays as you’ll have an option to do that while out in the fever (sorry, I can’t help myself). You can hold a piece of food in your hand loosely and let the stingrays suck it out of your hand as they swim by. If you do not let go you will suffer a stingray hickey as they suck your hand into their mouth.

There is a brief boat ride out to the location. Then you get off the boat and walk on a floating platform to step down into the water.

Immediately you are surrounded by stingrays — they know the food is coming. First the guides let you hold a stingray. They are velvety soft except for some bumps on their backs.  The tour operator brings a bucket of squid that the stingrays will suck from your hands, which was emptied pretty quickly by the stingray collective.

You have over a half hour to play with the stingrays and watch them. They aren’t afraid of humans at all, so mostly you just try to avoid stepping on them accidentally as they smoothly glide around and between all the humans, not seeming to mind all the hands reaching to touch their smooth skin.

Then everyone gets back on the boat and returns to the landing for free rum punches. These are big manly-man punches and I think everyone had one glass or less since they are so strong.

One note: there are no lockers at Stingray City for your stuff. NCL said in its tour listing there were, so some people are misinformed.