Swimming With the Underwater Creatures
For many of us, swimming with the colorful fish or above the beautiful corals is a dream come true. Basking in the sun and visiting an island seems like the perfect destination…
One of the Canary Islands, called La Gomera, has it all! It has mountains you can climb, an amazing village and ruins, beautiful beaches with fine black sands and a diverse flora and fauna on the island and in the sea!
The Famous Destination
La Gomera was already a famous destination for tourists. Offering a diverse nature, completed with mountains, a valley, a coast and a beach that are sunny and warm all year long, the island is like a piece of heaven.
What really made La Gomera so famous in the past years was a video that shows Joel, the young resident of the Island, interact with a strange creature. His story was so viral that it got shared and viewed by millions of people!
A Popular Spot
One of the most popular spots on the Island is Valle Gran Rey, which is translated to English ‘The Valley of the Great King.’ The beach has the Great King’s statue as a landmark as well. Which takes us to this viral story…
Close to the Valle Gran Rey, the island has a harbor which tourists can visit to talk with fishermen and scuba divers. It’s the place you go to book a few hours on the waters off the island’s coast. One summer day, Joel was planning to go fishing.
A Popular Kid
Joel was just beginning his summer vacation and he was free to go with his family to the beach or to go fishing. One morning, he was heading to the docks to go fishing.
He had no idea how popular he would soon become! Who would have thought that the Island would become even more famous, not for its beautiful scenery, but for this amazing story! Let’s learn more about it in the next photos.
The Dream Destination
We can all agree that the Canary Islands are a dream destination. La Gomera has a beautiful black sand beach and it’s the perfect place to go on a snorkeling or scuba diving trip. But Joel wasn’t planning any of that…
You see, Joel didn’t need to go into the water to swim with the underwater creatures. In fact, as he headed to the boat, he got to meet one creature up close and personal! At first, everyone was terrified!
Going On a Fishing Trip
Joel was a local, so he had the time in the world to splash in the water. He was just beginning his summer vacation and his family planned to take him on their fishing trip. That’s how the adventure of his life began.
The kid headed to the docks and was ready to hop on the boat when he froze in place. The water splashed at his bare feet. But he soon realized that it wasn’t just the waves…
The Vueltas Harbor
At the Vueltas harbor, fisherman leave their boats close by, always ready to take tourists on fishing trips. When Joel went that day to the docks, there were plenty of tourists there. One of them saw the amazing moment and took out his phone!
Joel’s story was caught on camera and is soon began making headline all over the world! The boy had no idea his plans of fishing that day would have to be put on hold…
A Surprise from Mother Nature
Mother Nature had a surprise for little Joel. However, when his parents saw their kid frozen in place, looking at the water, they realized something was off.
Joel approached the boat and looked at the waves. Something seemed strange, as the water brushed against his feet. He felt a touch and thought it was probably a fish. It wasn’t!
The Canary Islands Creatures
Underwater creatures at the Canary Islands are one of the biggest attractions for tourists that spend most of their holiday on the beach and in the water. They get to meet the underwater world there…
Scuba diving and snorkeling are the most popular activities at La Gomera. But Joel wasn’t planning to interact with underwater creatures that day - at least not dive to meet them. And still, it happened…
Swimming After Dark
Most of the tourists’ stories were of them seeing the creatures during the night. Since some tourists swam after dark, residents thought that it was only their imagination.
Nobody had seen strange creatures in the La Gomera waters. Moreover, many tourists hadn’t even interacted with underwater creatures, so even a bigger fish could scare them in the dark waters. But the locals told them not to swim during nighttime…
An Unexpected Meeting
Tourists coming to La Gomera told residents that they saw some strange creatures in the water. Joel wondered about those stories, and as a kid, he knew his parents wanted him to stay away from the water when alone…
This is why when he got at the docks and something brushed against his feet, he thought it was one of those creatures seen by the tourists. Could it be true?
Dangerous Waters
No matter how safe waters are, it’s better not to go swimming after dark. Any accidents can happen, even in knee-deep waters, and it’s best to be cautious, especially at the beach where there are no lifeguards during the night.
That morning, Joel would remember those stories from the tourists as he put his feet on the wet stairs to go on the boat. All of a sudden, something touched his feet and it wasn’t just the waves!
Not a Wave!
The first thing that ran through his mind was the water touched his feet. But it wasn’t just he water and it wasn’t a fish either! This crazy story got so viral because nobody has ever seen such a thing!
Joel was a brave little boy those moments! The dark water only made his imagination go wild. As he was wondering what it could be, the thing touched his feet once again… What was it?
It Wasn’t a Fish Either…
Since fishermen were throwing bycatch into the water, Joel thought it could be just some fish, but the power with which he was struck was far too big to come from a fish!
It wasn’t a strong wave either, and when Joel took a better look, he and the tourists behind him froze on the spot. Was it a shark, wondered the tourists? Joel’s parents didn’t dare yell at Joel to go back, fearing he’d slip on the wet stairs…
Don’t Panic!
The most important thing was for Joel not to panic. With a little bit of curiosity, the kid slowly bends towards the water to see what was splashing at his feet. Then he realizes it was indeed a sea creature!
This mysterious creature that tourists talked about was actually friendly and not threatening at all. That day would turn Joel’s childhood in to an unforgettable adventure!
A Giant Stingray
That morning, Joel got a visit from a giant stingray that flapped around his feet, making itself known to him! In just a few minutes, the friendly stingray became best friends with Joel. But was it safe?
PHD student Helen Cadwallader is a University of Waikato researcher and explained that humans shouldn’t approach stingrays: “Stingrays have a spine on their tail that can cause extreme pain and quite a lot of damage.” Was Joel in danger?
Stingrays Are Dangerous
Cadwallader explains that stingrays are dangerous, but they don’t attack: “they don’t go out to chase you down and attack, what they do is entirely self-defense.” This means the stingray thought Joel was harmless and approached him, probably to get some food.
You see, the docks were filled with fishermen that threw their bycatch in the water and this stingray was waiting for his breakfast. Here are all the amazing shots, revealing the incredible friendship between Joel and his friend ray!
He Let Joel Pet Him on the Nose!
It might sound unbelievable, but the ray allowed Joel to touch it on the nose. What’s more amazing is that when Joel came back the next morning to see if the ray was still there, he was again tapped on his feet!
The ray asked for a few pets, accepted the fresh shrimp, waited for a second pet and went back into the water. Joel’s unlikely friendship with the ray became so viral that many of the village kids came to see the friendly creature…
Understanding Boundaries
Joel knows that the ray must feel safe around him, so he lets the ray approach him first and gives him the food. The kid only pets the ray when he comes flapping and asking for it.
Every morning, he was there to greet and feed his friend. Tourists were in awe with the two and caught those moments on camera.
Saying Hi
Even though the ray gets its fill from the fishermen in the harbor, he still accepts a snack from his friend. The two are now meeting on a daily basis in the morning.
Joel’s friendship became viral and now he’s famous. Kids from the village accompany him and learn more about stingrays. It was a ritual everyone enjoyed, especially the ray that now has a human pal!
Give Them Space
Although their sting can be dangerous, it is important we know they need space and not be taken by surprise. These beautiful creatures live in deeper waters, so what is the ray doing at the docks?
The harbor’s shallow waters are definitely not stingrays’ habitat, but this fella knows it’s the place that has a lot of food and he also gets to see Joel every day. He’s a one-of-a-king stingray!
The Viral Video Is Online
When the video got uploaded on YouTube, it took the world by storm. YouTube users were stunned to see the stingray ask for pets.
“My faith in humanity’s restored. These boys have good souls,” wrote one of the users on YouTube. The others were happy to see kids know what boundaries and respect mean…
Respecting Sea Creatures
Another YouTube user was happy to see that the kids learned to “respect boundaries and doesn’t go too far,” and said that the “ray flapping back to the boy was so fantastic.”
It really is an unlikely friendship that shows us wild animals can be friendly if we know how to interact with them.
An Unforgettable Summer
We can all agree that Joel had an unforgettable summer. His unlikely friendship made La Gomera even more famous!
We hope that once he begins school, he can still visit his stingray friend at the docks. Maybe Joel will even teach kids at the school about stingrays and take them to visit his friends!
A Great Future
From young ages, kids’ future is shaped by the things that impress them the most. In Joel’s case, we bet he’ll become a marine biologist!
We can only hope Joel will continue his awesome friendship with his friend stingray and when he grows up, he’ll swim with the ray.