FOLLOWED BY STINGRAY

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28250, 11 April 1957, Page 9

FOLLOWED BY STINGRAY

Spearfisherman’s Ordeal

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 10. Feeling a nudging on his back, a Wellington spearfisherman glanced over his shoulder—to look into the eyes of a stingray. An Australian, Mr Barry Watson, aged 23, now of Petone, was moving with his feet almost perpendicular in about 15ft of water off Mana Island, on Wellington’s coast on Sunday, when he had this terrifying experience. “It was horrible,” he said today. “I saw two great, terrible eyes staring straight at me. One or two butterfish, which I had attached to stringers, was hanging from its mouth. It had taken the fish tail first.

“It must have been the efforts of the stingray to swallow the butterfish tl.at caused the nudging I felt on my back.” Mr Watson turned and tugged the stringer cords. He freed the fish, but the stingray was not frightened off.

“Stalker Stalked” “I felt like the stalker being stalked,” he said.

Mr Watson then jabbed the stingray with his spear “for protection,” but did not fire it. The spear stuck, and for about two or three minutes the water was lashed into foam as the stingray, about sft to 6ft across, tried to free itself and lash Mr Watson with its 9in barbed tail.

The stingray eventually freed itself, and "scuttled off.” The butterfish which the stingray endeavoured to swallow weighed about 51b. Mr Watson’s spear was twisted by the encounter.

Messrs A. Alexander and E. Trinder, both of Petone, were in the water at the time, but not close to the incident.