Fisherman oblivious to group of stingrays swimming behind him in Florida, video shows
Drone footage captured a man fishing peacefully off a beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, oblivious to a group, or “fever,” of stingrays swimming right behind him.
At one point, the rays start to inch closer to the fisherman but the squad appears to collectively swerve in the opposite direction, as if some sort of protective force field surrounded the man.
Michael McCarthy, who posted the drone footage to his YouTube channel “See Through Canoe,” on May 17, told Storyful he “expected the rays to pass in front of the guy who was standing in the shallow water fishing,” but instead, “the rays sneaked around behind the guy, and he never noticed them passing by.”
McCarthy said the rays spotted on camera are cownose rays, named for the shape of its head. They have poisonous stingers, but tend to be “shy” creatures, according to Oceana, posing only a “minimal risk to humans stepping on their spine.”
These types of rays are often seen in aquarium touch tanks because of their calm and graceful manner. Cownose rays can be found swimming in groups up to 10,000.
YouTube users were both amazed and amused.
“Funny how you never know how much danger you could be in,” one person commented under the video. “Could have been a shark or other dangerous fish, and you take it for granted that you’re safe in 2-3 ft. of water. Lucky dude!”
Another wrote, “I actually feel kinda bad for him, lol. Imagine watching this video and realizing you missed such a pretty sight of nature right behind you.”
“Tell me you’re from Florida without telling me you’re from Florida,” one user wrote.
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