Venomous Stingray’s Close Encounter with Swimmers Caught on Drone

A drone captured a heart-stopping moment when two swimmers inadvertently collided with a massive venomous stingray off Horseshoe Bay Beach in Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday, March 23. The incident, which could have turned fatal, was witnessed by professional angler Jason Moyce, also known as Trapman Australia.

The Encounter

The drone footage shows a black stingray, approximately the size of a dining room table, gliding beneath the unsuspecting swimmers. As the swimmers attempted to catch a wave, the stingray approached them, resulting in a collision that sent foam exploding around them. Moyce, who was operating the drone, could be heard screaming as he watched the scene unfold.

“All three got wrapped up in the wave. The stinger got very close to hitting the boys with its tail. … None of the three saw it coming,” Moyce described in a Facebook post on March 24.

The Stingray

The creature involved in the incident was a black stingray, known to grow up to 13 feet in length and nearly 6 feet in width, with some weighing over 440 pounds. When threatened, these rays use their poisonous barb as a defensive mechanism.

Although deaths from stingray venom are rare, the most notable case is that of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, who tragically died in 2006 after a short-tailed stingray’s barb pierced his heart.

Reactions

Trapman Australia’s posts about the incident have garnered significant attention on social media, with many expressing a mix of awe and fear at the size of the stingray and the potential danger it posed.

“That is amazing but terrifying at the same time,” commented Gael Walsh Vanderdrift on Facebook.

Others, like Brian Galland, found the stingray’s behavior intriguing, noting that “Even the large ray’s (like this one), usually try to avoid people?”

The close call between the swimmers and the venomous stingray serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of marine life and the importance of exercising caution when enjoying the ocean. Thanks to the quick reflexes of the swimmers and the stingray’s apparent lack of aggressive intent, a potentially life-threatening situation was narrowly avoided.

Screen grab courtesy of Trapman Australia.