We settled on the benches of the open deck
The captain was steering with his feet
Some of us were under the fiberglass canopy
Not wanting too much sun
Our adventure started out from a channel
Carved out of the coral rock
In Grand Cayman
The water was an opaque puke green
Until we broke out into North Sound
Picking up speed
We rushed to the Sand Bar
Headed for Stingray City
The further away we got
The clearer, the bluer the water became
There were a few boats already there
With their passengers standing in four feet of water
As our captain dropped anchor
We saw that the water was crystal clear
Cleaner more pure than any water you could imagine
I could already see the stingrays racing towards us.
The captain climbed down the ladder
I sat on the platform to put on my mask and slide in
Swimming over to our guide, I stood up
When suddenly a stingray began climbing up my body.
Even though this was my fourth trip to Stingray City
I still let out a scream as these crazy monsters climbed all over me
Freaked out I had to swim away to calm down
As the rest of our crew jumped off the boat
I could hear the screaming and giggling
As the rays brushed their soft underbellies across their skin
It felt like firm jello
We played with the rays
Who spanned four to six feet across
Occasionally we fed them beheaded squid
Then we moved on toward the reef.
Where the surf was breaking
About a hundred yards away
It wasn’t far to go, but we took the boat for safety
The captain again was the first one in
Me, the ocean lover was as always right behind
He asked me to swim with him
Then he dove down to a rocky space
In about fifteen to twenty feet of water
I could see a few fish
When all of a sudden
A Moray Eel stuck its head out of an opening in the rocks
The captain waved a squid in front of the eels snout
The eel started to come out of the hole
The captain began to swim along the bottom
Holding the squid inches from the eels nose
Until the Moray Eel was completely out of his cave
Then the captain started to come up still holding the squid
Inches away from the eel.
Once both man and eel were vertical in the water he let the eel have the squid
And then…
The most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life happened
He took the MORAY EEL INTO HIS ARMS
And held it as if he were holding a favorite family pet
Caressing it
And loving it
The eel hung for a few seconds in his arms
Then slithered away
Squiggling back into his den.