**Full Disclosure: As a Sea World 2013 Wildside Blogger, my family and I were provided with season passes. We attended the Sting Ray interaction at no cost to us. I was not asked to write about my experience. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have I told you before that I am a big, fat chicken?? No?
I AM!
But, I am proud to tell you that I crossed something off my bucket list this weekend! (Well, not really off my bucket list, because playing with stingrays was never ON my bucket list. BUT I did something that I wouldn’t otherwise do, so we’ll count it!!)
These stingrays are all “stinger free” so you can’t get hurt!
Stingrays are kind of like cats – they like to rub on your legs.
Colin was REALLY excited about the thought of feeding & petting the stingrays, but when we got there, he didn’t want anything to do with it. I am proud that he walked into the water, even if it was only for a second!
James was a little freaked out to start with – he was adamant about NOT going in the water, but we talked him into it! He got to touch the stingrays, but he wouldn’t feed them.
I don’t think there are any pictures of me with the stingrays, but I was there!
And I fed them (TWICE)!
When you feed them, you put the fish (head up) in your fist and hold it like an ice cream cone. When the stingray comes by, it feels a little like a vacuum and you let go of the fish. It’s that easy! Their teeth are farther back in their mouths, so you won’t feel them.
The Stingray Interaction Encounter at Aquatica is really fun and I’d definitely recommend it! It’ll cost $25 for adults and children (3-9). During the experience you can feed the stingrays and you will be given one photo for each paid encounter.
OHHH that looks like sooo much fun! We are going to Sea World in May!
Which one!?
I’d be the scaredy cat with you.
I am so proud of y’all for doing this!! It looks like so much fun!! So have you added MORE things to that bucket list that you may not “normally” do??
You were brave!! I totally get the “chicken” part 😉 It was so great seeing you again. Can’t wait for the next one!
Definitely looking forward to more Marina-time! 😀
Oh that looks amazing. I’d love to do it!
How fun! I hope to do something like that one day!
Very cool! We’ve thought of doing the Sting Ray experience on Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island), but haven’t done it yet. Maybe when Nick is older.
That does sound like a lot of fun!! I wouldn’t mind doing it… maybe. 😛
Oh that looks like so much fun!!!
That is so fun I swam with stingrays on my honeymoon and you can pet them at our zoo they feel so cool! I wish we had a Sea World close by!
That’s so cool that you can get in with them. We feed the rays at SeaWorld all of the time, but from outside the tank. It would be cool to get in with them!
I had no idea they were cat like with their rubbing against your legs. Interesting! I got to pet a stingray at an exhibit at the Mall of America several years ago. It was pretty cool!
How awesome! Looks like a lot of fun!
That’s cool that you can stand in the pool.
You can go in up to about 3 feet deep, but I wasn’t THAT brave! 🙂
The sting rays look so cool
Talk about cool! I be your kiddo loved meeting the sting ray.
That’s so cool! My girls didn’t even want to pet the stingrays so I think we’d have to wait a few years to try and get them to feed stingrays.
Oh wow! How fun! I love petting the stingrays!
Kas
What a bummer that Colin was scared. David would love it. Cadence, maybe not. I would totally do it, though! Time for you to get out in the sun a little more 😉 I love the pic of you in your pigtails 🙂
Oh that looks like such an awesome adventure. I wish we had more places like that here in NYC.
I’ll have to check this out when I’m down in April!
Will you be in San Antonio or Florida?!
That looks like so much fun! I can’t believe they let you go in the water with them! I’d watch my husband and son in law go in, but I don’t think I could do it!
That looks like so much fun! I’m a bit of a chicken, too, and I’d be gritting my teeth through the stingray encounter, but I’d have to do it to be brave for my kids! haha!!
That looks so awesome! Glad you got to enjoy this!