mooose29
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Water shoes and sting rays
My daughter recently got hit by a sting ray which was probably one of if not the most tramatic things to happen to her in her 11 years of life. From
doing some reading about stingrays it is very clear that the standrad water shoes many of us wear would offer little protection so I was wondering if
any of you know of any type of water shoe that would offer protection from a sting ray. Obviously we shuffle our feet as much as possible but as we
all know that is not 100% effective nor is it possible to shuffle 100% of the time. Last year I shuffled over the top of one and got hit right on the
bottom of my heal. I found one thing one thing on the web but it is more for wadding fishermen and not for kids that are playing and swimming.
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Osprey
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Here's some dive boots that might do the trick> http://www.divebooty.com/catalog/23/boots.html
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bajaguy
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what about using a hiking stick or a trekking pole to poke the water in front of you???
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BajaGeoff
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A friend of mine gives surf lessons and got really tired of getting stung by the rays all the time. He bought the thickest pair of booties he could
find, but even still the rays were able to penetrate. Unfortunately, I don't think anything that would be 100% effective at stopping them would be
very practical for swimming and playing in the water.
I think his booties were 8mm too....
[Edited on 4-30-2009 by BajaGeoff]
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oldlady
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Ski boots. Otherwise, bajaguy has the best idea I've heard. A friend recently told me her stingray story. The thing can go through bone. My
husband used to dive a great deal and says neoprene ain't much of a barrier.
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BajaBruno
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Could be a business opportunity!!: ballistic Kevlar booties!
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mooose29
so I was wondering if any of you know of any type of water shoe that would offer protection from a sting ray. Obviously we shuffle our feet as much
as possible but as we all know that is not 100% effective nor is it possible to shuffle 100% of the time. |
wear rubber boots, the tough thicker rubber type. ya, if you wade above the knee, you will have to drain/dry them out after your walk in the water.
rubber work boots are cheap.
if not wearing boots, do the sting ray shuffle, and deal with the fact that occasionally you will get stung. when stung, clean the wound and immerse
foot in hot water (heat seems to neutralize the poison)
some beaches just have lots and lots of rays, and you should not go wading when you see lots of rays.
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Cypress
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What's with all these folks getting hit by sting rays?  In clear shallow
water? Getting hit multiple times? I'm not buying into that BS.
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Woooosh
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You gotta do the "sting ray shuffle" no matter what booties you wear. The ray whips its barbed tail if you step on him instead of nudge him along.
Where the barb lands is more a function of his size than your shoes. Don't walk- shuffle your feet if you are in an area where they gather.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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BajaGeoff
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I would love to see you try and swim in rubber boots mgoat666. That is a sure way to sink feet-first. 
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David K
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Steve Irwin didn't step on one... and he's dead, just the same. The tail can whip up... it's all a defensive measure... like a rattlesnake strike...
at least the snake tries to warn you before he bites!
I am amazed with a lifetime of ocean swimming (lived on the beach in Del Mar) and countless Baja trips, that I have never been hit by a sting ray...
knock on driftwood!
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BajaGeoff
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Me too David.....surfing for 21 years and stepped on my fair share of rays but luckily never been stung!
(knocking on my desk)
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Curt63
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Ok the guy you want to talk to has a house (one of the twin houses) at La Bolisa/ Razors outside Abreojos. I think his name is Bobby or Dirk and he's
from Cayucos. This guy claims he's been nailed 8 times!
He made a pair of calf high boots out of that expanding construction foam in a can crack sealant stuff. It is absolutely hilarious (about 3-4" thick).
He walks out a little ways in to the surf until he can paddle and removes the boots and lets them wash up on the shore.
RTS551 is his neighbor and maybe he can post a photo.
I split a gut when he showed me those boots!
I've been surfing 31 years and never been hit.
BOLA was covered in those babies last year when I went snorkeling.
No worries
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BajaGeoff
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Hehe. Baja ingenuity at it's best!
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaGeoff
I would love to see you try and swim in rubber boots mgoat666. That is a sure way to sink feet-first. |
my recommendation of boots was for wading.
if swimming, you need nothing as your feet ain't on the botton, einstein 
anywho, if you are swimming or wading in pacific surf, sting rays ain't to numerous, so go w/o your rubbers.
you go wading in the lagoons, you better have protection, i have seen some quiet waters with rays thick as thieves
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Alan
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We stayed in Loreto when my children were little. We just wouldn't let them swim in the water until all of the neighborhood kids showed up to swim
too. A pack of noisy, screaming kids having a ball in the water is enough to scare away every stingray for miles.
In Memory of E-57
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BajaGeoff
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If you read the original post mgoat, she/he was looking for something kids could use for "playing and swimming". I don't know of many kids that go to
the beach to spend their time "wading".
By the way, the ocean floor is called the bottom, not botton as you spelled it, einstein. 
[Edited on 5-1-2009 by BajaGeoff]
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