Humans VS Stingrays 10.
Australian Attack An unfortunate incident occurred in November
2018 when an Australian man was attacked by a stingray while swimming at the popular Tasmania
Beach.
This 42-year-old Nicolas Ricketts was a plumber who once served in the Australian Navy.
The beach is just 10 miles away from Hobart/ the capital city of Tasmania/ so Ricketts
and his friends took a trip there to enjoy themselves.
However, what started as a fun trip/ soon turned into a deadly encounter with a stingray.
The beach is a popular spot for stingrays and skates/ but they usually swim away when
they notice the presence of humans.
Unfortunately, this was not what happened in the case of Ricketts.
He was alone in the water/ when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.
His friends who thought he had been attacked by a shark/ quickly dragged him to the beach
where they waited for the arrival of emergency services.
Sadly, he didn t survive the attack.
According to reports, the last death caused by a stingray in Tasmanian waters/ occurred
more than 120 years ago.
9.
The Crocodile Hunter One of the rarest incidences of an attack
by a stingray caught on camera happened on the coast of Queensland, Australia on September
4, 2006.
The famous Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin had spent most of his life dealing with some of
the most dangerous animals on earth.
Unfortunately, he met his untimely death at the hands of the least expected creature on
earth, a stingray.
This incident happened while he was filming a documentary series for Ocean s Deadliest.
He saw a stingray laying on the ocean floor and he got closer to record the moment.
The fish thrust his sharp barb into his chest causing massive trauma.
Irwin was swimming above what happens to be one of the largest species of stingrays on
earth, the short-tail stingray.
This species can grow up to 14 feet long and more than 750 pounds.
Despite their enormous size, the short-tails are usually calm but very inquisitive.
There are many speculations as to why Irwin was attacked by this docile creature.
But the only one that seems to be accurate was that the stingray saw him as a potential
threat.
While Irwin was swimming above the fish, a cameraman was also in front of it to capture
every moment.
The short tail probably felt trapped and the only option left was to defend itself.
The barb was reportedly close to 8 inches, which caused physical damage to his heart
and eventually his death.
8.
The Jumping Stingray Six weeks after the death of Irwin, another
case of a stingray attack was recorded in Florida.
The 81-year-old man identified as James Bertakis was in his fishing boat with two other friends
on October 28, 2006, when this unbelievable incident occurred.
A stingray jumped out of the water and landed on Bertakis lap.
He wanted to throw this fish back into the water but when he grabbed it, the fish didn
t hesitate to strike him with its painful barb.
The sting left him with serious pains and a broken barb in his chest.
Not knowing what his fate would be, they drove back to his home in Lighthouse Point while
his 21-year-old granddaughter Sarah Bertakis pressed a towel to the wound to arrest the
bleeding.
He was already in critical condition when the emergency unit arrived but they managed
to save his life.
He spent about two months in the hospital and it took him almost a year to recover fully
from the attack.
The stingray that attacked him died on the boat and it was about 5 feet wide and weighed
30 pounds.
7.
Singapore s Underwater World Attack Almost a decade after Bertakis attack, another
deadly incident with a stingray was recorded in Singapore.
The Underwater World aquarium in Singapore has been a major tourist attraction for years.
However, as more competitors began to arrive on the resort island, the aquarium was forced
to close for business after 25 years.
They started moving most of their animals to other locations for better treatment.
One of the few employees left to help with this activity was the 62-year-old Philip Chan.
He was a gracious man who loved everyone including the animals, which he fondly called his babies
. He was assigned to prepare the stingray for relocation on October 4, 2016, when this
sad incident occurred.
One of the stingrays had struck him in the chest with its barb and he was quickly rushed
to the hospital where he later died.
There were more than 10 species of stingray in the aquarium so no one knows for sure which
of the species was involved in the attack of Mr. Chan.
6.
Stingrays went berserk!
While stingrays are generally docile, their attacks are more common than most people could
imagine.
On average, there are about 1,500 stingray attacks every year in the United States alone.
Most of these attacks take place in shallow waters where the stingrays are taking cover
to avoid predators or to find food.
They often attack unsuspecting visitors who step on them unknowingly as a means of self-defense.
However, we have seen cases where it seems as if these creatures have gone berserk.
For instance, stingrays stung 176 people in a single day in October 2019 at Huntington
Beach, California.
Local authorities claimed that the rapid attacks were caused by rising ocean temperatures,
which increased stingray activity.
The authorities further explained that this was not a stingray infestation, but these
attacks happened because the humans ventured too far into their territory.
A similar event also took place in December 2017 where multiple cases of attacks by stingrays
were recorded.
The visitors could have prevented most of these attacks if they were shuffling their
feet as they stepped into the water.
This is enough to make the stingray swim away without attacking.
5.
Coronado Beach attacks If you think nothing wrong can happen to you
at a beach, you better think again.
As the temperature of the ocean rises, the activities of the stingrays increase and it
becomes even easier to wander off to their territory.
While they are usually gentle, they don t mind giving trespassers a gentle reminder
that they cannot be messed with.
This was what happened on the Coronado beach in California in June 2019 when up to 15 beach
visitors were reportedly attacked by stingrays in a matter of hours.
Again, this seems like a surprise to many who couldn t believe that these harmless creatures
can hurt so many people in a matter of hours.
One of the victims of the attack called Alexis Andujo said the sting was like fire and it
hurt so badly.
4.
Tanjong Beach Attack Sentosa is a sunny island in Singapore with
lush vegetation and many attractions.
Maybe that was why Benjamin Koellmann and his family decided to visit Tanjong beach
during a family outing on March 28, 2021.
However, this lovely family moment soon turned tragic as he felt something like a hammer
hit him on his ankle.
This was not a hammer but a stingray he had mistakenly stepped on in the water while swimming
with his family.
The pain was so severe that he was quickly rushed to the hospital.
Despite receiving painkillers, he could still feel the pains and it wasn t until the fourth
day that he became better.
He probably wished someone had informed him before stepping into the water but he urged
other visitors to be careful whenever they are visiting the beach.
3.
Oreti Beach attacks On December 30, 2018, a 48-year-old Jamie
Cunningham experienced the most excruciating pain of his life after being stung by a stingray
twice.
Cunningham had visited the Oreti Beach at Invercargill with his wife and two sons.
While the wife was waiting on the beach, Cunningham took their two sons to the ocean for boogie
boarding.
After some time, he came out of the water to swap over with his wife Christine.
However, as he got closer to the shore, he felt a sharp pain in his right leg and the
next thing he knew was that he was lying on the beach.
Before he could understand what had happened, the stingray delivered another jab this time
hitting him on his left ribs.
As he tried to call for help, the first thing he requested was that his two sons who were
still on the water to be taken to safety.
Fortunately for him, there was a tram of paramedics close by who helped him stop the bleeding
before an ambulance could arrive.
Almost immediately, he began to experience breathing difficulties because of the toxins
from the sting.
2.
New York Coast attack It was late at night on Sunday, September
19, 2021, on a fishing vessel Shelby Ann sailing about 40 miles southwest of Montauk.
One of the boat crewmen identified as James McKenna was hauling in a fishing net when
he was lashed by a 300-pound stingray below the knee.
Almost immediately after the attack, he began to show signs of shock.
The other members of the crew quickly called for help and the Coast Guard sent an MH-60
Jayhawk to the scene to rescue the victim.
He was hoisted with cables used on the boat to the helicopter above.
The Coast Guard described this rescue mission as challenging .
1.
A sting to remember On September 22, 2021, a music teacher from
Queensland called Liam Richards was on vacation in Far North Queensland enjoying the waters.
However, it didn t take long for this fun moment to turn sour as he stepped on a stingray
in the shallow waters.
The stingray, not having any of it, immediately reacted by jabbing him with its sharp barb
that got broken in his leg.
His principal piggybacked him until they got to safety where he was attended to by a team
of paramedics.
After the bleeding stopped, he was transferred to a nearby hospital.
He was later flown to another hospital for surgery where the barb stuck in his leg was
removed.
The barb was about 5 inches long and he was lucky that it missed his bones.
This is a vacation he will live to remember.
Did you have any scary encounters with stingrays?
Let us know in the comments section below.