Eel attack at Stingray City, Grand Cayman

[Scuba-Jay]

Just a quick story. I was diving in Thailand years ago (I must have been 14 or 15) and had an experience I wont soon forget. My dad was my buddy, and we were being guided by a DM from the local charter. Mid dive a HUGE Eel cam darting out of a hole in the reef and right for me. I froze. The Eel proceeded to tap its fangs (big, big fangs) on my goggles in a rhythmic fashion. It then proceeded to wrap itself once around my chest and continued on with the tapping. My father, concerned for my safety withdrew his dive knife and was slowly swimming toward me, when the DM grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. The DM then swam over, grabbed the Eel, untangled it from my body and gave it a big hug!! We were later told that "Ralph" the Eel was a regular at the reef and had been "trained" to interact with divers....not sure whether they meant trained or "fed" but either way he was apparently harmless. All i know is that my wet suit got real warm real fast, and i would really have appreciated being told about this "friendly" Eel prior to the dive.

 

[erparamedic]

OMG! I love eels... but not that much! LOL Hopefully your wetsuit was only warm... not messy! LOL

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Ph so many things wrong with the initial report... and my spelling was none too good on my prior post.

The Department of Environment does have Marine Enforcement Officers who primarily monitor VHF channel 17 (yes, seventeen). The Royal Cayman Islands Police have a Marine Unit which monitors police frequencies. Either may be monitoring VHF 16 as well.

It's been several months since this incident. I suppose the epidemic of eel bites somehow resolved itself as I've not heard of a single incident with the eels since then. A crocodile, yes, though no one was injured. Eels, no.

 

[enjoyingthesun]

Ph so many things wrong with the initial report... and my spelling was none too good on my prior post.

The Department of Environment does have Marine Enforcement Officers who primarily monitor VHF channel 17 (yes, seventeen). The Royal Cayman Islands Police have a Marine Unit which monitors police frequencies. Either may be monitoring VHF 16 as well.

It's been several months since this incident. I suppose the epidemic of eel bites somehow resolved itself as I've not heard of a single incident with the eels since then. A crocodile, yes, though no one was injured. Eels, no.

Drew, the reason the eel bites have stopped is twofold -

1. The responsible operators have stopped their crews using Deep Stingray City (I got that from one of the photographers).
2. Capt Marvin's people caught the eel who attacked Chester and killed it - I have this from two eye witnesses and DoE who say what they did was completely within the law.

 

[enjoyingthesun]

Nobody died, no limbs were lost, the guy who was bit will be ok after some heal-time, after all it’s ‘just a flesh wound’.

That's not the information given to the press, confirmed with staff at the hospital and some of Chester's colleagues. The nerve and tendon damage is likely to be permanent.

In an earlier case on Cayman a DM suffered infections after being bitten which prevented the wounds healing for months.

The attacks are not just love bites, they represent a very serious workplace heath and safety issue for both staff and employers and it's about time the government sorted it out.

 

[H2Andy]

i've witnessed the guides feed eels quite a few times in Grand Cayman and, like any interaction with a wild animal with the potential to hurt you, i thought of it as Russian roulette

the nursesharks also got a lot of handling, though not to the same extent

so ... so long as guides continue to do that, some of them will be hurt some of the time

Mid dive a HUGE Eel cam darting out of a hole in the reef and right for me. I froze. The Eel proceeded to tap its fangs (big, big fangs) on my goggles in a rhythmic fashion. It then proceeded to wrap itself once around my chest and continued on with the tapping.

holy ****!

i think i would have done a good impression of a submarine-launched ICBM just about then

 

[H2Andy]

Capt Marvin's people caught the eel who attacked Chester and killed it - I have this from two eye witnesses and DoE who say what they did was completely within the law.

the eel didn't "attack" anyone. it was a wild animal that was interacted with by humans (at their own peril) and one day, as wild animals are wont to do, it didn't do the predictable thing

why kill it? why not leave it alone in the first place?

 

[RonFrank]

I am very sad reading this incident. I LOVE Eels, and they in turn generally ignore me, and just hang out with their somewhat useless eyes starting into mine.

When people choose to feed and interact with wild animals, things can, and often do go wrong. I feel bad for the DM who was attacked, then again, I have little sympathy for this type of behavior which may ultimately lead to the destruction of an Eel.

If they feel the must feed the animals, I would encourage them to do so in a safe way. IOW's at a distance. However this interaction with animals is not good. I understand that StingRay City is a huge moneymaking attraction. However maybe we need to consider that our interaction with wildlife has negative impact, and that there are other ways we can enjoy the world below. Personally, I gain a LOT of satisfaction just viewing these wonderful creatures

 

[Tigerman]

What can i say.. If you play with fire, youll get burned one day..
Wildlife is and will always be wild and the danger they pose should be respected..
I guess fish can have a bad day just as you and me..

 

[aprils0909]

I know this trip and have done exactly this, including visiting the eel. I was on a Princess cruise and one of the excursions was Stingray City diving. We spent a lot of time with the rays and the guide told us we'd be looking for an eel that was as gentle as could be. We went and the thing was ENORMOUS. He grabbed it by the tail and let each of us pet it. He assured us he was accustom to humans as well as the rays were and I felt no anxiety. We had no incident and I am so sorry to hear that you and your family witnessed such a thing.

Hindsight, we should have said thanks but no thanks, not encouraging the guide to search out the poor eel. It was 4 feet long and he attracted the eel with the ray food (fish pieces) in a neoprene lined can. It was almost sad to see a wild creature conditioned to expect food from humans. I hope to God that company is no longer affiliated with Princess cruise line. I'm sure he gets a lot of business via other resorts, cruiseships, etc. Very sad and a bit too close to home for my taste.

Thanks for the report.