Destination WA - Stingrays on Hamelin Bay

Episode: Episode 7 (18/03/18)

Stingrays on Hamelin Bay

Episode: 7
Title: Stingrays on Hamelin Bay
Broadcast: 18th March 2018
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane

Today Trevor does something he has never done before; rides a bike along the beach and comes close and personal with some friendly rays!

Hamelin Bay is just 20 minutes south of the iconic, Margaret River and is a beautiful beach. The Margaret River Adventure Co. take people on fat bike tours to take people for tours through the beach or off road.
The bikes float along the sand with almost no effort at all. Tours run every day for 2 and a half hours of fun! The tours start in Borranup forrest and moves down onto the beach.
The stingrays come into shore as fisherman used to head out in the morning and come in in the afternoon and would feed the rays there old fishing scraps. This habbit has continued and the rays continue to come in at this time- although you can no longer feed them!
These majestic creatures are not scary and are very comfortable with humans. Some of them weigh up to 350kgs.
Sometimes 20 rays will come in at a time! The eagle rays are very nimble and will sometimes come and beach themselves and give you a bit of a tickle.
Stingrays will eat anything around and are known as the vacuum cleaners of the sea.
These rays are protected and the best policy is to admire from a distance.