How To Protect Yourself From Stingrays When Wading

by

In order to protect yourself from a stingray, you must use special protective equipment or special walking techniques to scare away the stingrays before you encounter them. The protective gear is specifically designed to resist the sharp barbs of a stingray from getting through. 

Below we’ll discuss ways to avoid and protect yourself properly from these beautiful beasts!

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

Table of Contents

How Do You Avoid Stingrays While Wade Fishing?

The best way to protect yourself from a stingray is to avoid stingrays as much as possible.

This can be hard to do while wading, but luckily there is a very simple way to help you avoid stingrays while wading through any water where they might be hiding. 

To avoid stingrays while wading, you will want to use a walking technique called the “stingray shuffle”. This technique may slow you down a little, but it will allow you to scare away any nearby stingrays and avoid stepping on them.

It also is a great technique to walk in shallow water without spooking nearby fish you are trying to catch!

How To Protect Yourself From Stingrays When Wading

This instructional video demonstrates how to do the Stingray shuffle.

Stingrays will only use the barbs on their tails when they feel threatened or in danger. For most people, this happens when they accidentally step down on the stingray because they didn’t see it.

By scaring away nearby stingrays before you step on them, you can better avoid getting stung.

However…for us anglers who love to fish and know that big fish lurk in shallow waters…what can we do?

What Shoes Can Protect You From Stingrays?

While things such as waders or water shoes fail to provide great protection against stingrays, there are many companies and brands out there that design and produce gear specifically for protecting against stingrays. 

Shoes and guards made by companies such as Everlast, Bart’s Armor, and Sting Ray Guardz are all great options for properly protecting your feet and ankles against stingrays. These products are much tougher and more durable than traditional water shoes to ensure a stingray barb cannot penetrate. 

Everlast guards and Sting Ray Guardz are some of the most popular options and resemble snake gaiters in appearance.

They also function much the same, providing a hard barrier that a stingray is unable to get through. 

Can Stingrays Go Through Water Shoes?

Just like with waders, traditional water shoes offer little to no protection against stingrays. While they are great for protecting your feet against sharp rocks and rough surfaces, they will not protect against the pointed barb of a stingray. 

Even though most water shoes will not protect your feet, ankles, or legs from a stingray, they are still great to wear and can help you do the stingray shuffle more effectively.

Typical water shoes will give your feet a break from the sand, mud, rocks, and debris that you will have your feet in while shuffling. 

However, heavy-duty wading boots like the Simms Tributary Rubber Sole Wading Boots are designed with a very thick rubber sole and reinforced toe cap, that offers extra protection from stingrays (and rocks, slippery surfaces, etc).

Do Waders Properly Protect From Stingrays?

Some of the best fishing is often found by wading through stretches of water in order to access different fishing areas. Waders are a piece of gear that is designed to keep you dry and potentially warm while wading through this water.

Many often wonder if these waders can also double as protection from stingrays. The answer, unfortunately, is that they provide very little protection from a stingray barb. Waders are simply designed to keep water out, and the neoprene or rubber material construction will do little to stop or slow down a sharp stingray barb. 

While there are some special guards and protection gear out there that can properly stop a stingray, general fishing waders will not.

If you want something to stop a sting from a stingray, you will need something that is stronger than a pair of waders. 

What Is the Stingray Shuffle and Does It Work?

The stingray shuffle is a simple walking technique that you can use while wading in shallow water to help scare away nearby stingrays. By scaring them away, you decrease the risk of stepping on them and getting stung. 

To do the stingray shuffle, you will simply keep your feet planted in the sand or mud and avoid raising them up to take a step. Instead, shuffle each foot forward as you walk. This will stir up the mud or allow you to bump into a stingray and scare it off without running the risk of stepping directly on it. 

The stingray shuffle is one of the most popular methods that is recommended for avoiding stingrays while wading through the water.

It is the most practical way to get around in shallow water and allows you to focus on fishing or whatever task at hand instead of focusing on the placement of each of your steps.

For example, when I am walking the shallow grass flats of the Indian River Lagoon trying to cast net for mullet, I do the stingray shuffle.

It’s just second nature to me, I’ve done it my entire life! (and I’ve never had been stung!)

Conclusion

If you are scared or worried about getting stung by a stingray while in the water, that is a perfectly normal feeling…

But, remember that stingrays do not want to hurt people, they avoid conflict and by paying attention and shuffling your feet, you will likely avoid any encounters.

If you spend a lot of time in the water wading and fishing around docks, sandbars, and other shallow areas then invest in a pair of protective leg guards or reinforced wading shoes.

Good luck!

See Also: Why Do Stingrays Jump Out of the Water?

Growing up in Florida, I’ve been surrounded by saltwater my entire life…and I love sharing my passion with others.

To learn more about why I started Saltwater Mecca, visit the ABOUT page.

Thank you for reading this article. Browse around & have some fun!