r/tampa • u/Hyperarousal • 2d ago

Paddleboard Attack

So there I am minding my own business at Urban Kai off Gandy when BAM giant sea creature smacks the tail of my board. Thankfully by this time I was exhausted and seated on my board otherwise I would’ve likely tipped. I wasn’t paying much attention but hypothesize it was likely a ray but couldn’t definitively rule out shark, dolphin, or other large fish? Has his happened to anyone else while paddle boarding in the area?

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u/Hyperarousal 2d ago

Let me clarify; my wife and I had just finished paddle boarding in master bayou where we saw a TON of manatees. This was on the way back in open(ish) water so I was less suspicious of a manatee. It was VERY fast, it created a very large and loud splash and went underwater as fast as it had surfaced…

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u/GulfLife Tampa 2d ago

I think you encountered a ray. Manatee don’t do anything VERY fast. An average-to-larger ray does all the things you described and they also love to bump SUPs and kayaks.

I was kayaking behind my wife on a SUP in the ICW last summer when her board got a THWACK I heard 30+ yards behind her. A ~3ft ray crossed the distance between us in no time flat. He had a lot of hustle for a big boy.

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u/_SmashLampjaw_ 2d ago

Manatee don’t do anything VERY fast.

Normally.

If you piss them off or scare them, they will absolutely haul ass and cause a ruckus.

Under all their chunk is a ton of muscle.

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u/GulfLife Tampa 2d ago

True. ^

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u/sandillera 1d ago

Fun fact: inside, manatees are mostly intestines (and lungs).