Swimmers got a huge surprise the other day over on Fort Myers Beach when a large group of stingrays — known as a “fever” of stingrays — swam past them in knee-deep water in the Gulf of Mexico.
Contrary to what some believe, stingrays are not aggressive and pose very little danger to humans.
Stingrays frequently can be found in the warm shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the months of May through October. They come close to shore in search of food and bury themselves in the sand.
They do have defensive venomous barbs, however, so you don’t want to step on a stingray – the result could be a painful sting.
The best way to protect yourself from accidentally stepping on one and getting hurt is to do the “Stingray Shuffle.”
Doing the shuffle means instead of taking big steps in the water, you lightly slide or shuffle your feet, which alarms stingrays and gives them time to get away from you. After all, stingrays don’t want to be stepped on any more than you want to be stung!
