'Sea monster' interrupts couple's waterway cruise
BY DOUG RUTTER, Sports editor
Sara Hayes waits on the boat she owns with her husband, Hugh, after a spotted eagle ray collided with it, causing damage and killing the ray. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Updated: Oct. 3, 2007
Sara Hayes calls it her "sea monster story."
She and her husband, Hugh, recent retirees to Sunset Beach, were enjoying a boat ride on the Intracoastal Waterway last week when a gigantic ray crashed their party.
A spotted eagle ray with a 75-inch wingspan and estimated weight in excess of 200 pounds jumped out of the water and landed in the couple's boat as it traveled west near Shallotte Point.
Neither Hugh nor Sara was seriously injured, but they were understandably shaken by the experience and will need repairs to their vessel, a 22-foot Bayliner named Dream I.
"I've heard of fish jumping in the boat but not that," said Hugh.
The freak accident happened Tuesday around 3 p.m. as the 67-year-old retired pharmacists were returning home from a trip to Southport.
"We were cruising along approximately 15-20 miles an hour. I like to cruise like that. It's just fast enough to get the bow down so you can see over it and not too fast to be unsafe," Hugh said.
"Suddenly, I saw a blur and wham, something hit. The windshield shattered into a million pieces. We have a canvas top and all that came crashing down around me."
When he turned around, Hugh saw a large ray flopping around on the deck of his boat.
"It was moving around and everything," he said, "and at that point I got scared."
Sara Hayes said she had moved to the front of the boat just before the ray made its crash landing.
"I had moved from my seat to the bow and said to my husband, 'Hugh, this is the life. This is enjoyment.' I turned around and saw a blur.
"It happened so quick there was no time to react. I just saw the thing jump up and go over my head. There was no time to think, just look back and see everything gone and see blood on my husband."
Hugh said he had some minor cuts from the broken windshield. "I think we're both lucky we weren't hurt," he said, adding that the ray came within a few inches of hitting both of them.
After the accident, the Hayeses flagged down other boaters in the area and took their vessel to some nearby docks.
The U.S. Coast Guard and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission were notified of the incident, but neither agency showed up while the couple waited for about three hours. The ray died in the boat.
With the boat in running condition, the Hayeses proceeded to the Ocean Isle Fishing Center, where several people removed the ray from the boat.
"It took six men with three gaffs to pull that thing up out of our boat onto the dock," Hugh said. "They estimated at least 200 pounds. The tail itself was probably 6 feet long. It was a monster."
Hugh's initial estimate for damage to the boat was $1,000, but it may be more than that. There was no structural damage to the vessel, but the windshield and top will need to be replaced.
Sara Hayes said the couple had recently joined the Power Squadron and taken a safe boating course.
"We are new to boating, and it was the first time my husband and I had been out without one of our children with us," she said. "We tried to do everything by the book."
Paul Barrington, director of husbandry and operations for the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher, said the spotted eagle ray is common in this area and it is not unusual for them to jump out of the water.
"They're very common, especially during the summer and fall months," he said. "Frequently, I see them jumping out of the water, especially this time of year. They're a very common summertime visitor."
Barrington said the spotted eagle ray (aetobatus narinari) is a migratory species that ranges from North Carolina to Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico. They are typically found in the Carolinas from July through September.
The spotted eagle ray can have a wingspan as large as 8 feet and as many as eight serrated spines on its back. Most eagle rays have one or two spines.
"It's a harmless animal really, other than it would possibly use those spines in a defensive posture," Barrington said.
It is believed that rays jump out of the water to rid themselves of parasites. They are bottom feeders that eat mollusks and crustaceans and would not leave the water to crash bait.
"I've seen them leave the water and approach heights of up to 8 to 10 feet," he said.
Barrington said a ray jumping out of the water and landing in a moving boat is "one of those one in a million time events."
"You can't avoid the animal. They do frequently leave the water, so there's really no protection from something like that. A leaping spotted eagle ray through the air would be dangerous to me."
The Hayeses have been Sunset Beach homeowners for about six years and moved here from Mount Airy in April. They said they were grateful for the people who helped.
"We'd like to offer our thanks to all the people that did help us. The boaters that helped us while we were out there and people at Ocean Isle Fishing Center," Hugh said.
Added Sara, "I was so pleased with the help from strangers. Once I put my arms up and flagged, they came from everywhere. They were all super nice. I don't even know their names."
Despite the scare, Hugh Hayes said he would not hesitate to take his boat out for another cruise.
"This was just a freak thing that, hopefully, will never happen again."
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Thats crazy glad they were ok
Originally Posted by hotrodmarlin
wasn't I surprised to see a huge Manta Ray with about a 10' wingspan gliding in circles right above me. Well, once my heart rate was under 500 bpm and I finished making promises to the Almighty for saving my arse, I was able to swim around with this guy for about 5-10 minutes...real cool!
