This was my second experience interacting with stingrays in the Caribbean. The first time was in a gated area at a marina park in Jamaica.

This experience at Sting Ray City in Antigua was out in the ocean on waist deep sandbank where standing, the stingrays swirled around me. Seemingly tame they gathered around us with the call of the boats and the food. Ultimately they were wild, coming and going at will. We placed squid on our hands and fed the sting rays under their flat grey bodies, feeling the teeth tickle our palms. They’re slippery and marshmallowy soft. The guides are gentle with us, friendly and very informative about the stingrays history, habits and biology.

We were told they are harmless, although I did see a woman with a large red suck mark on her leg. I might be wary of taking a small child, but the small children there were loving it. The experience was so phenomenal, I’d hate for my children to miss it.

Savannah