Captain Dexter Ebanks of Dexter’s Fantasea Tours

According to two watersports operators, current laws need toughening up to protect both the stingrays and customers visiting them at Stingray City.

Despite the recent introduction of regulations to protect wildlife, including licensing of vessels and the creation of Wildlife Interaction Zones, problems are still apparent at the popular tourist attraction.

Dexter Ebanks, of Dexter’s Fantasea Tours Ltd, says that he has recently seen a number of stingrays with injuries clearly caused by boat propellers. “One, a small female, was cut up all across the top. It must have been a small propeller, probably fitted to an outboard motor because the big propellers would simple have chopped the stingray up,” he observed.

Mr Ebanks believes the problem is with smaller boats, which actually park with their keels in the sand.

The solution, he believes, is simple, “Make the small boat operators fit propeller guards like they do in the Florida.”

Mr Ebanks is not the only person concerned about the risks presented by smaller boats at the sandbar.

Another operator, who asked not to be named, expressed concerns that swimmers might also be at risk. “Some of the smaller boats visiting the Sandbar have such a shallow draught they can cross right over the area where people are in the water,” they said, adding, “With so many people out there, not just from the commercial operations but from privately-owned boats, and with small boats often being operated by inexperienced people, it looks to me like an accident waiting to happen.”

“I am just afraid this is another case where nothing will be done until someone gets seriously injured,” they concluded.

The propeller guards come in a variety of forms, with prices starting around US$75. Apart from the safety aspect they also protect the propeller and gearbox from accidental impacts, but their use is controversial, with some designs accused of reducing performance and increasing fuel consumption. However, at least one design is claimed to make the propeller more efficient.

Mr Ebanks has also repeated his concern, reported by Cayman Net News at the beginning of October, about the failure by the authorities to carry out the mandatory inspections required by the Wildlife Interaction Zone (WIZ) licences and the complete absence of any follow up to the marine safety report, which was published by the Office of the Complaints Commissioner over a year ago.

Mr Ebanks received the WIZ licence for his boat back in August but the vessel has never been inspected. “It seems just like a revenue gathering exercise, with no one really bothering about who, or what, is carrying the passengers,” he commented.

On the marine safety report, Mr Ebanks is critical of the complete failure to implement any of the recommendations. “Watersports operators are still adding second decks to boats which were never designed to have them. It’s time the authorities started checking up on this and making sure the modifications are safe,” Mr Ebanks said, pointing out that all motor vehicles have to be inspected and making similar modifications to something like a bus would be breaking the law.

At the time of going to press, Cayman Net News had been unable to obtain an official response to these concerns.