Swimming with the Sharks and Stingrays

Through the Manila Ocean Park I was able to swim with the parks sharks and stingrays. It only coasted 800php which is about 16 us dollars. The sharks were 8ft long and heavier than I had imagined. The trainer that was swimming with us only introduced his favorite one to us, her name was Babe. Then I went on to swim with the stingrays. There were many different kinds. There was the giant black stingray, the leopard stingray, the cow tail stingray, and the Philippines stingray.

The giant black stingray was huge! It weighed 250kilogrames which is about 550 pounds. Her name was Blanche but the trainer said they all call her Big Mamma. I got the chance to hold her, but even in the water she was extremely heavy and I could only hold her for a few minutes before my arms started to shake and I had to let her go.

The leopard stingray was the prettiest in my opinion but I was only able to hold him for a minute or two before he tried to get away. The trainer said it was because the leopard stingray was a male and the male stingrays don’t really like to be held they like to do what they want to do when they want to do it. (So basically males are the same in all species)

The cow tail stingray was more calm then the leopard stingray. She gets her name from the shape of her tail. It looks like a cow’s tail. The trainer said her name was Bell.

My all time favorite stingray that I got to swim with and hold was Jenkins. She was a Filipino stingray. She was so sweet. And every time she would start to slip off of my arms she would swim to get back up on them. She even let me kiss her at least 3 times.

I did not just get into a tank and swim with sharks and stingrays. I went to 15 minute briefing on what to and what not to do (and paid attention) when swimming with these amazing creatures. They may be animals in captivity but they can still be dangerous if they want to be so they need to be treated with love and respect. I had a fun but I always listened to the trainer that was with me. I suggest to anyone that has the opportunity to go swimming with the sharks and stingrays to jump at the chance. It was a truly unforgettable experience!