hk wrote:
Stingray kills Michigan woman in Florida Keys

Associated Press - March 20, 2008 12:44 PM ET

MARATHON, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a Michigan woman died after a
stingray jumped out of the water and struck her in the upper body in the
Florida Keys.

Wildlife officials say the spotted eagle ray hit the 55-year-old woman
in the face or neck while she was in a boat with her family Thursday.
Her name and hometown aren't being released yet.

Officials say it's not clear whether the animal's barb struck her, or if
the impact killed her. It's also not clear how big it was.

Spotted eagle rays can grow up to 17 feet in length, weigh up to 500
pounds and have a wingspan of up to 10 feet.

They are known to occasionally jump out of the water but are not
aggressive and use the venomous tip at the end of their tail as a
defense mechanism.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I saw a stringray jump out of the water when it was being chased by a
nurse shark, a very impressive sight.

Everytime I am in the keys or south Florida, I always wear water shoes
and "shuffle" when walking in the water, that way you don't step on them
or other potentially dangerous fish.

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:31:51 -0400, Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:


I saw a stringray jump out of the water when it was being chased by a
nurse shark, a very impressive sight.

I used to fish that area quite a bit. On more than one occasion, I would
be sitting quietly fishing, and a ray would crash back into the water.
It would startle the hell out of you.

On another occasion, I was about to pull a snapper into the boat, when @
5' barracuda decided he wanted it. That sucker cleared enough water that
I was literally looking up at it. Now, that was an impressive sight.
All that remained of the snapper, was the head.

wrote:
On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:31:51 -0400, Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:


I saw a stringray jump out of the water when it was being chased by a
nurse shark, a very impressive sight.

I used to fish that area quite a bit. On more than one occasion, I would
be sitting quietly fishing, and a ray would crash back into the water.
It would startle the hell out of you.

On another occasion, I was about to pull a snapper into the boat, when @
5' barracuda decided he wanted it. That sucker cleared enough water that
I was literally looking up at it. Now, that was an impressive sight.
All that remained of the snapper, was the head.

Catching "heads" is rather common around reefs and wrecks.