My Stingray story...

Sometime during 2006 I was operating a decontamination boat called Scavenger along the Miami River. I would run up and down the river 5 days a week recovering floating garbage, breaking up rafts of stinking sea grasses clogged with debris and operating what was essentially a giant ozone generator. Ozone is a radical O-3 Atom/molecule, which when forced into water breaks up 18 known bio-contaminants and is effective in cleaning up the water (thats the simple explanation). It was a difficult job but one that fulfilled my need to get active in an environmental capacity - it filled my need to DO something about the environment. The job was interesting at times 'cos I would inevitably encounter wildlife and occasionally leave at the end of the day feeling very rewarded...some of the animals included dolphins, rare birds, manatees and seahorses.

One day I got to work and I was feeling really depressed. The previous night I had gotten into a confrontation on a freediving/spearfishing forum (yes I am a spearfisherman), with a guy who was asking about how to go about spearing a Stingray. I did not handle the question very well and suffered some major fallout from others on the forum. In the end the guy learned that there was not much food to eat on a ray with just the tips of the wings providing anything edible, and that they were difficult to spear - many spearos offered suggestions on how to spear them. I consider stingrays off limits for both these reasons and don't take kindly to shooting fish for the sake of it. I hunt for food taking only what I can eat. The issue plagued my mind for most of the day.

At the end of that day I headed upriver to the dock , tied up the vessel and secured for the night. I was leaving the boat when I remembered that I had forgotten something and returned to the vessel. Just as I was leaving once more, I turned to take in the redsky of the sunset. As I was watching, a huge Stingray launched itself clear of the surface no more than twenty yards in front of me, completing a half-turn and landing with a loud splash before disappearing again. I was stunned ... a vivid picture playing and replaying thru' my mind - one of a magnificent creature in full flight arched out against a setting sun with every colour of the rainbow seeming to burst forth from its body highlighted by beads of saltwater reflecting and magnifying the power and beauty this oceanbeing! Some minutes passed before I moved ... I did not know what to make of this seemingly spiritual appearance ... after a while I heard, rather felt myself mutter "you're welcome"! Somehow I had connected and felt the circle completed...

This was not to be the last time ... the connection is real and there are more experiences which I will share...