"Live the Cover!" Contest: Mexico

Great Travel Moment

I have never seen or done anything like swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman water. The day was so clear and perfect, the water was like liquid crystal and so warm. We took a boat out to a sandbar and there were tons of tour groups out, wading through the water, so in we went. I have never experienced a natural encounter with such large, potentially lethal, yet gentle creatures. The rays were, at the largest, about 5 1/2 to 6 ft. in length and width. They would glide up on you, swirling around you and brushing against your legs. They were soft and rubbery, almost like a dolphin feels, curious and gentle. All you needed to do was reach down and stroke them as they swarmed around you. They were very beautiful. I was 16 in this picture, taken above from the boat.