You Can Swim Safely At Stingray City

I n the Cayman Islands there       not attack unless it is in self    is one attraction that many     defense. If humans approach them   tourists flocked to,            in a peaceful manner they will     Stingray City. Since the              not attack.                        crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin,                                           died from a poisonous barb while      Stingray City has an excellent     diving at the Great Barrier Reef,     safety record and the Department   tourism to the Stingray City has      of Environment intends to keep it  significantly dropped.                that way. They have drafted a set                                        of restrictions for the North      The popular site was noticed          Sound area where Stingray City is  about fifteen years ago. Many         located. They are restricting the  fishermen would guide their boats     number of tourists in the water    over the reef to the calmer and       and the number of boats carrying   shallower waters to clean their       paying passengers to the site.     catch. A little later they notice     Lifting a ray out of the water     that the stingrays, scavengers by     and is strictly forbidden. Boats   nature, would hang around the         are not allowed to anchor over     boats to get a free lunch. As         the reef. Nothing other than       this information got around a         squid or fish may be fed to the    very brave dive master got into       rays.                              the water to hand feed them and                                          Stingray City was born. Now those     Tour operators are responsible     stingrays are very tame.              for not leaving any excess food                                          at the site. Each boat must have   Stingrays are often feared due to     laminated sheets available for     the sharp barbs in their tails        passengers to read about the       and the poison they contain, but      Stingrays Biology. Anyone who      the stingrays at Stingray City        participates in the feeding        are not aggressive and they would     program must be made aware of the  potential dangers of feeding the      good swimmer as the water where    rays. Anyone that breaks these        the rays congregate is only waist  restrictions will be fined            deep if you are an average sized   $5,000.00 and his license will be     adult.                             revoked.                                                                                                       If you are still not convinced     The thing that is not widely          that it is safe to swim and feed   known is that the ray that killed     the stingrays, opt for a glass     Steve Irwin was a bull ray. Bull      bottom boat tour. You will be      rays can be found only in South       able to see these magnificent      Africa, Australia and New             creatures of the sea in action.    Zealand. This a much more                                                aggressive ray than the ones          Although some people will now not  found at Stingray City. The rays      go to this unique attraction       at Stingray City are non              because of Irwin's death you       aggressive and will allow             truly do not need to fear the      interaction with humans in their      Rays at Stingray City. It is one   territory.                            of the most enjoyable attractions                                        that you will see in the           Be sensible when you are visiting     Caribbean.                         Stingray city. Don't chase the        Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All    rays or pull on their tails. When     Rights Reserved.                   feeding them put the squid or                                            shrimp on the back of your fisted     This article may be distributed    hand. Always let the stingrays        freely on your website and in      come to you. If you have food         your ezines, as long as this       they will. And don't be afraid if     entire article, copyright notice,  they gently bump with their           links and the resource box are     snouts, they are looking for          unchanged.                         food. You do not have to be a          About the Author: Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.CruisingTips.com Published At: www.Isnare.com