Sting Ray City

Sting rays glide over your body, looking for fish to suck up into their little vacuum cleaner mouths. I kneel in shallow water on white sand holding fish out for them to suck in and brace myself for their "cozy embrace." They boldly muscle down on me. I fend off the intrusion with arms and elbows -- they still come back for more. They aren't aggressive, just obnoxious. It is fun to follow their beady eyes as they "feel you up" and leave.

I try to feed the sting rays but my finger gets torn by the sharp tiny teeth of scavenger yellowtail snapper. I scream and wince in pain and try waiting until the "Hoover mouth" is right by my hand to release the yummy fish. But the snapper are too fast and grab the food anyway. What pests!

Darth Vader

Darth Vader is a very big, black, older sting ray with a commanding presence. (No wonder he is named after the Star Wars character! ) When Darth Vader moves over me, it is like a huge cloak covering my body. He is a genetic oddity for a string ray, similar to an albino-type of animal. Normally, a sting ray is gray on top, the upper back is usually the texture of fine sandpaper and is gray with color speckles. The underbelly is a soft white chamois. So when sting rays glide over you, it is quite comfortable, though forceful!