July 2019: During a day-long layover between our flights from Montserrat Island- Visiting the Pompeii of the Caribbean-Exclusion Zone Where a Volcano Destroyed the Capitol City of Plymouth, Montserrat | Venture The Planet and Dominica-Swimming with Sperm Whales-World’s Largest Toothed Predator and Exploring Dominica’s Wealth of Natural Treasures | Venture The Planet, my wife, Paula, and I took the opportunity to explore the Caribbean island nation of Antigua. As a well-developed travel hub with a strong tourism infrastructure, Antigua is easy to navigate, and I quickly arranged for a taxi to take us to Antigua Stingray City, a marine reserve on the opposite side of the island.
Our destination offered the chance to swim with the Southern stingray, the largest species of stingray in the Americas. The reserve was well-organized, and we booked a boat tour to the outer reef, where approximately 30 to 40 wild stingrays, accustomed to being fed by guides, glide gracefully through the shallow waters. Unlike a controlled aquarium setting, the stingrays were free to come and go as they pleased, making the experience feel truly wild.
Though these giant stingrays possess venomous barbs capable of delivering a lethal sting if stepped on or mishandled, they are generally docile. They seem to understand that the price of being fed is performing for tourists, and they rarely sting anyone—though, according to one guide, occasional incidents do happen.
Where is Antigua

Location of Antigua
The eyes and mouths of the stingrays have an oddly human-like appearance. As Paula and I waded through the shallow waters, the giant stingrays glided gracefully around us, occasionally brushing against our legs or even nibbling at our feet with their peculiar, tooth-like structures. Rather than biting, stingrays use these structures primarily to latch onto their prey, which they inhale with a powerful suction.
The Antiguan guides picked up the stingrays, feeding them small squid and even allowing us to hold or hand-feed them. It was a surreal experience to feel a stingray suck the squid straight from my palm.
At the height of the feeding frenzy, the stingrays swarmed us from all directions. I found myself instinctively walking with one hand guarding my privates—paranoid after witnessing how forcefully they inhaled their food. I’m glad I did because, at one point, a stingray rushed toward me in the excitement and latched onto my hand with its surprisingly strong vacuum-like suction.
Visiting the stingrays isn’t for the squeamish. They will touch you—sometimes aggressively—but as long as you’re gentle, careful, and shuffle your feet to avoid stepping on their barbed tails, you’ll be fine.

Paula being attacked by a hungry sting ray. The guide had to pull it away

Snorkeling with sting rays

Paula feeding the sting ray

Mouth of sting ray

Sting ray brushing up on Paula from behind

One must shuffle their feet to avoid being stung

Paula and I with a giant sting ray