Adventure: How Not to Get Stung

After "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's death from a stingray wound, many would-be aquatic adventurers learned to dance the "Stingray Shuffle"--the shuffling foot motion that experts recommend using in shallow waters to alert stingrays. The death of a pro like Irwin "does remind us that these things can happen," says Dr. Robert Hueter, of Mote Marine Laboratory, in Sarasota, Fla. "They're not impossible." He says that while stingray-related deaths are extremely rare, common island tours, which attract sharks and rays with bait, may result in some accidents and injuries.

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