As a marine biologist with over 4000 dives to my name I can testify that every single stingray encounter I’ve ever had has been at the very least an enjoyable experience and at its best a once in a lifetime interaction with a wonderfully inquisitive and gentle marine animal. As a lecturer and teacher however, I am shocked that this is not the reaction that my students feel when the topic of stingrays come up. I am increasingly concerned that just as the movie Jaws inspired a generation to be terrified of sharks, the death of Steve Irwin (as a result of a stingray barb to his heart in a tragic accident in 2006) has instilled an unjustified – but nonetheless real – fear of stingrays. In its extreme this fear has led to the death and mutilation of many stingrays around Australia These photos were part of an incredible interaction I had with one the beautiful, gentle and inquisitive smooth rays that inhabit Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia.
