Surfers are in close proximity to stingrays all the time.  I see them
darting around the shallows when I’m getting in and out of the water.  And when the water is clear, I can see them cruising along the bottom when I’m out in the lineup.  It’s always a little nerve-racking when you see the sillouhette of a big stingray slowly passing right underneath you.  I typically try to take comfort knowing that stingrays are docile creatures and only sting when provoked.

I figure now is as good a time as any to go over the basic rules of living with stingrays:

Rule 1: Stingray’s like warmer water, so be extra cautious at beaches where the water is above 67F.

Rule 2: Shuffle your feet whenever you’re touching the bottom.  The idea is to shoe away any nearby stingrays. When shuffling your feet be careful you don’t jam your toes into any rocks, logs, giant clams, sunken treasure chests, etc. 

Rule 3: If you do get stung by a stingray, try to remain calm.  Most stingray wounds occur on the foot or lower leg and are fairly simple to treat.  The doctor, who treated my first stingray injury, told me that it is very uncommon for there to be any sort of systemic reaction to stingray poison, so you shold be OK despite the intense pain.  ** If you are bleeding severely, having trouble breathing, feeling dizzy or nautious, then you should go to the nearest hospital immediately.

Rule 4:  Clean the inflicted area and look/feel for any evidence of a barb that may still be inside you – it will need to be removed.

Rule 5: The pain can be pretty intense, it starts at the spot where you get barbed and spreads from there.  After about 5-10 minutes the pain really starts pumping.  All you need to do to get instant relief is soak the wound in hot water (as hot as you can handle).  This neutralizes the stingray poison because it is a protein and the heat causes the protein molecule to unravel.

Rule 6:  Don’t let anyone pee on you.  Pretty sure that works for jellyfish stings, but not for stingrays.  Save yourself the humility.

p.s. I’m not a doctor and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so you might want to check my advice against some other sources.

http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/lh_stingray_city.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-a-Stingray-Sting

http://www.ehow.com/how_1000328_treat-stingray-poisoning.html