Leaping stingray stabs Florida man in chest

[stevedemon]

Hi all here is another stringray only this one has a happy ending

Leaping stingray stabs Florida man in chest

11:26 AM October 19

US authorities say a leaping stingray stabbed an 81-year-old Florida boater in the chest, leaving its poisonous stinger lodged close to his heart in an incident recalling the one that killed the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, last month.
Fire Department officials in Lighthouse Point, about 48 kilometres north of Miami, said James Bertakis was in a small recreational boat with two grandchildren yesterday when the spotted eagle ray leapt aboard and struck him.
"It's just a real freak thing," Lieutenant Mike Sullivan told Reuters, saying the incident occurred on Florida's Intercoastal Waterway, where stingrays are rarely seen leaping in the air.
"For an 81-year-old man he's in really good shape," Lieutenant Sullivan added, saying Mr Bertakis was expected to make a full recovery after surgery at a local hospital to have the stinger removed from his chest.
Irwin, 44, died when a stingray's barb punctured his heart off Australia's north coast last month.
It is one of only a handful of stingray fatalities on record.


Cheers ;D ;D
Steve 8-) 8-)

[griz066]

The bloody things are out to get us ;D ;D ;D ;D

[tshort]

I had a small ray nearly leap into the tinny last Sunday when I was at full speed, scared the crap out of me.

[aussiefool]

Strange...............mmmmmmmmmmmm.....must be the weather for it. Put the boat in yesterday for a fish on the Tweed and my deckie said S##T look at that ..... and there was a ray jumping 5' out of the water. It continued towards us with each jump and if it had jumped just one more time it would of landed in the boat :o :o .Scared the you know what out of the deckie ;D ;D ;D The Ray was one of those Black and white ones about 3-4 ' across tip to tip

P.S we got 6 keeper whiting down near the piggery

[favourite_whiting]

Oh no about those stringray strikes back
[smiley=smash.gif] those barbs out of stringrays!!! [smiley=smash.gif]

[tshort]

One stalked me as well on the sme day. Walking the boat through the shallows outside Yankee Jack creek, it kept its distance of about 2 to 3 metres and come in close for a look every now & then, very inquisitive. Never got more than about 5 metres away. One of those small purple spotted ones.

[Duyz72]

I can see a B Grade movie in this from the States soon!
In the same mode as Anaconda I am sure.

[themisses]

We had one stalking us on the yabby flats opp. Chindera boat ramp some months ago. Very off putting, I jumped back in the boat a few times, it go just a little too close to the tooties. :D
Cheers Kim.

[woodchopper]

CRIKEY

[DazSamFishing]

I often see eagle rays leap from the water in the Gold Coast seaway. That old bloke was just unlucky... Unless rays are taking revenge!



I can see a B Grade movie in this from the States soon!
In the same mode as Anaconda I am sure.

Ha ha... Snakes on a plane... and Rays in a boat!

Daz

[megan]

It actually stabbed him when he was trying to get it out of his boat!! So if one lands in your boat how do you get it back out into the water??

[aussie_true_blue]

you would get it back in the water VERY CAREFULLY

[Mozza]

And their flippin' tails are so slippery to grab hold of...

[dej]

Any 1 got a pic of a sting ray barb , like to see 1

[stevedemon]

Hi all
guy's i have brought then on to my vessel many times to remove hooks simpley place a towel over the tail and pick them up and back over the side to date have never received and injurey from a ray yet!! touch wood but do be careful make sure it is a beach towel or same thickness not a tea towel

Cheers ;D ;D
Steve 8-) 8-)

[el_carpo]

Turtleshead, here's a pic I found of the spotted eagle ray's tail barb.

[el_carpo]

;D ......and guys.......SHHHHHHH!!!! about the killer stingray movie idea. If the Hollywood dingbats read that, they probably WOULD make the dang thing.

"Bucky--The Stingray From Outer Space! -- He ate the Earth and warmed our hearts!"

The feel-good hit of the year! ::)

;D


P.S. Never in a million years would I have guessed that rays could jump! :o They don't look very "jumpy." Ya learn soemthing new every day.

[aussiefool]

We had one stalking us on the yabby flats opp. Chindera boat ramp some months ago. Very off putting, I jumped back in the boat a few times, it go just a little too close to the tooties. :D
Cheers Kim.


Must of thought you had nice looking tooties there Kim....or thought they were Yabbies ;D ;D ;D you'll have to stop useing that pink nail polish ;)

[Kendall249]

In regards to handling rays, like already mentioned throw towel or sack over the barb. Secure tail with foot and grab by putting fingers in its eyes. once done carefully grab the end of the tail. Just pick it up and throw it back in, unless you keep them for shark bait.

[rando]

El Carpo
They jump and surf too. On Stradbroke Island you can see them catching waves and jumping out of the face of the wave, out from Point Lookout. Check out the area on Google earth its a pretty magical place. Its east of Brisbane, about 20-25 miles. When they jump they make quite a loud splashdown and we often hear them when we are out on the bay
Rando