Close up with the stingrays: Photographer captures special holiday snaps of tourists swimming underwater off the Cayman Islands

By Mark Duell Mail Online

Photographer Claudio Gazzaroli, 38, captured the moment on camera during a trip to Grand Cayman in Caribbean

Stingrays in local area off the coast are known to be friendly and many people go there for snorkelling experiences

Animals can live for 25 years and spend much of their lives inactive buried in the sand, drifting with tide’s movement

They’re renowned for their friendliness off the Cayman Islands coast – but this stingray looks a little grumpy as he swims just below the water’s surface.

Photographer Claudio Gazzaroli, 38, captured the moment on camera during a trip to Grand Cayman in the Caribbean, where tourists flock each year to swim with the majestic animals.

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He said: ‘A lot of people go to this place to snorkel with stingray, so the rays are really friendly. You can see the beauty of this wild animal and it is a stunning place to experience this encounter.

‘It was really amazing. If you stand on the bottom they turn around and come very close to you and it is possible to touch them.’

Stingrays can live for 25 years and spend the majority of their lives inactive buried in the sand, drifting with the movement of the tide.

Like sharks, they use sensors called ampullae of Lorenzini – named after the Italian scientist who discovered them.

These allow them to hunt prey by detecting their natural electrical pulses.
But their numbers have been in decline in the Caymans – and Mr Gazzoroli, from Switzerland, said he hoped conservation efforts will make a difference.

‘This place is beautiful and we must respect and preserve these paradises,’ he added.

‘Fortunately, the people who go there respect the rules and I hope to see this place again in 20 years, intact.’
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