But after Irwin’s death, business went on as usual at “Stingray City” in the Cayman Islands, a popular locale where rays are baited in the shallows for tourists to snorkel with. “The day of [his death] there were a lot of questions,” says Stephen Broadbelt, whose company runs tours to the Cayman site. “[But] we haven’t had any cancellations.”
Family-oriented outfits, like Anheuser-Busch’s Discovery Cove park in Orlando, offer swims with rays that have had their barbs trimmed, keeping the spookiness but eliminating the risk of stings. Capt. Spencer Slate, who takes dive groups to observe nurse-shark feedings off Key Largo, Fla., thinks fears of ocean life are overplayed. “I’ve been bit by more cats than I have sharks,” he says. The inherent risk of engaging wild creatures remains a draw, not a reason to stay away. “That’s the beauty of it,” Slate says.
–Jonathan Mummolo
