Another Stingray "Attack"
In Florida, an 81-year-old man is in critical condition after
a stingray jumped into his boat and stabbed him in the chest, according to a wire service report.
Here's the ray:
This is actually what's known as a spotted eagle ray, for obvious reasons. They're really beautiful animals and extremely shy; they don't like divers and they don't like divers' bubbles. My dive instructors taught me that, if you're near the bottom and you see an eagle ray, drop to the sand and flatten yourself as much as possible, or you'll scare them away. Underwater, they are really dramatic.
Here's one I saw in Cozumel....
And here's a school of them in the Galapagos, in about 20 feet of water....
When they're in schools, eagle rays often swim in formation, like a squad of fighter planes, only peaceful; it's one of the most beautiful things you can see underwater.
It's a little hard to imagine how this incident could have happened, since it would seem to require the ray jumping out of the water—which rays don't do—backwards and stabbing the man in the chest.
Perhaps the man was doing a little illicit hunting or harassing of a beautiful animal? Because a ray can't just jump out of the water and, in mid-air, stab someone in the chest....
