okay...I'm less than excited about swimming with eels!!!

[travelloverontario]

Hello all.....we are going with Moby Dick to do the Stingray tour. Oh so exciting...except I keep reading that there are eels in there too:eek:.

 

I know...it is the ocean after all, but I am mucho afraid...phobic actually..., of snakes and I think in the water those eels will look a lot like water snakes to me.

 

Do you always see eels on this excursion??? Hmmm, my excitement may turn to anxiety soon.:confused:

 

Thanks for any positive news!!!!

[TinaJ04463]

We did the stingray city tour last year and I didn't see any eels. Believe me, if there had been eels in the water I would have seen them, because the water is really clear and I was keeping a real close eye on where the stingrays were!

TinaJ

[paradiseseekers]

We saw an eel!!! They swim pretty low and our guide said just don't touch them!!! Not a big deal, but if you are scared, you might want to think if this is the best excursion for you!!!!! You have a big chance of seeing them when you are in the ocean!!!!!

[TinaJ04463]

OMG! I will never be able to do another stingray excursion! I would be so freaked!!

TinaJ

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I never saw any eels either. We did our tour with Nativeway and did a snorkel stop first, then the stingrays and then off to Rum Point Beach. Not one eel. I too would have been freaked but no worries. Enjoy!

[cantwait2cruize]

The only time you will see eels is at the end of Feb, beginning of March. That mating season.:D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just joking ;):D:p

[jean-lynd]

I have been to Stingray City 3 times and have never seen an eel. I wouldn't worry about it.

[TheVegasMan]

Eels are relatively reclusive, you have to know where to look to see them. They are usually hidden in between rocks and coral. All there is is sand at Stingray Sandbar. It is highly unlikely that you'll see any eels there. You might catch a glimpse of one when you're at the reefs.

 

The only times I have heard of someone being injured by an eel was when they were trying to feed one and they forgot to let go of the food.

 

They are more active at night. During a night dive in Aruba I got to follow one for 7 minutes while it was hinting. It was an amazing experience.

[Capt_BJ]

Concur that most of the time you need to hunt for an eel and during the day they'll usually be hiding in the coral.

 

But every once in a while....

 

This one was off Key Largo and followed us for a few minutes...

 

[bookbabe]

I've been to Stingray City Sandbar dozens of times, and I've never seen an eel there.

 

We had one outside our house at Cayman Kai once, though, when we left the waverunners in the water for the better part of a week without using them. The eel had decided that the water output pipe at the back of the one waverunner was better than a hole in the coral somewhere, and (unknown to us) moved in. Scared the living daylights out of me when we went to take the waverunner out of the water and it swam out of the pipe and right between my legs. It didn't stick around, though, since it was probably more scared of me than I was of it... :eek:

[travelloverontario]

Okay everyone...thanks for the mostly good news!!:p

 

cantwait2cruize....too funny!! You had me panicked until I read further down

 

Capt_BJ....okay...really??? Did you have to include that photo???:eek::eek:

 

Thanks again, I'm going to go assuming I won't see one. No....I'm not in denial.;)

[NavigatorBride]

I've been on two stingray city tours and have never seen an eel. We went both times with Capt. Marvins. The second time we went they said that we were going to skip the barrier reef and snorkel somewhere else...I didn't think anything of it. While on the tour I noticed that the boat captain, a young man from Honduras, had a LARGE scar around his forearm and he was flexing it in considerable pain. He said he was attacked by a moray eel while saving a 9 year old girl on an excursion. He threw the girl away from the eel and the eel grabbed onto him, wrapping itself aroudn his arm. He had to be airlifted to hospital and almost died from the bacteria in the bite wound. I don't know if Capt. Marvins has continued going to the barrier reef, but I know that I'm ok snorkeling somewhere else!

[travelloverontario]

okay fellow Canadian...are you trying to snap me out of my denial????

 

I will let Moby Dick know of my fears, and get some guidance from them. Maybe I'll get in at Stingray City, but skip the reef if eels will be an issue.

[NavigatorBride]

I would do the same thing. We are going back again in May and are researching waverunner tours to Stingray City. I am VERY afraid of snakes and have the same attitude as you. I've never seen eels at Stingray city and I'll stay away from the reef. :eek:

[IGGY63]

I was at Sting Ray City this year on a New Years Cruise. This was my 3rd or 4th trip to the sand bar. I booked this trip with stingraysailing.com.

 

No eels at the sand bar.

 

Our guide knew where there was an eel on the outer reef. He fed it. It was really kewl....

[pjhootch]

We did see an eel at the reef... not the sandbar. However, our guide went to it specifically so people could see it. It wasn't just swimming around and no one would have noticed it if he hadn't called people over to it. This was with Moby Dick in mid-January 2009. Don't let the idea there may be eels at the reef keep you out of the water or stop you from snorkeling. The folks that saw the eel got a kick out of it, and everyone who was nervous didn't go over there but still saw plenty of fish.

[IGGY63]

Here are a couple of pics of the nice eel we saw last month. I was surprised that this thing swam so close to us.......

 

Not to worry, he was coaxed out of his hole so he could be fed.

[NavigatorBride]

Dave, that thing looks like it's screaming at you! After hearing my eel story and seeing the poor young mans arm I think I would have had a heart attack if I saw an eel that close!

[Capt_BJ]

I guess I shouldn't tell you about the day I was diving, concentrating on taking a picture and felt something brushing aganst my inner thigh......

[travelloverontario]

NO...Capt_BJ:D:eek:...do NOT tell

 

denial, denial, denial

[loveysbydesign]

You guys have me ROTFL!!!! thanks..I really needed a good giggle today!

[IGGY63]

Dave, that thing looks like it's screaming at you! After hearing my eel story and seeing the poor young mans arm I think I would have had a heart attack if I saw an eel that close!

 

 

He's easier to look at on the laptop....lol

[Tbuzzard]

we did stingray sailing tour last week and did not see any eels. Chip, our guide, said it is rare to see them at stingray city as they tend to shy away from people and there will usually be lots of people there. We did see an eel on the snorkling portion of the tour but when it saw us coming it changed directions away from us.

[jenphan]

i did not encounter any eels, but the water is so clear that you can always see them coming. but other passengers would also warn each other that there is a stingray around us, so we dont freak out when it touches us. just make sure to kiss a stingray. =]

[divemedic]

Ok...4 of us were diving there for over an hour and didn't see one (15' deep section)....must have been all those darn stingrays in the way! But we were told we COULD see one. I did see some calamari float by but I think me son let go of it before something else sucked it up.

 

Divemedic:rolleyes: