MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — A unique program at a South Carolina aquarium is helping veterans leave behind their anxiety - at least for a while.
It starts with the initial steps. And then come the rays - 80 of them - all living in the exhibit at Ripley's Aquarium.
"It's funny because I tell people all the time, I think these stingrays have personalities,” Myrtle Beach resident and veteran Margo Boyle said. “Some of them are friendly."
The barbs on these rays have been clipped, meaning they’re harmless. There's even a shallow end where you can feed and pet the rays.
And then, there’s a deep end where you can put on a snorkel and can look down several feet to see dozens of stingrays below.
"It takes all the thoughts, worries, and everything out of your mind that's been ongoing consistently but when you go out there, it's like they disappear," said Randy Shaner.
Shaner is a member of the PTSD of Myrtle Beach group. March will mark the fourth year that the group will have swam with the rays once a month.
"You come and you're around other veterans experiencing the same things that you are and it's encouraging that the aquarium does this for us,” Boyle said. “It's encouraging to know there's people that care."
"It's so great out there. You go in another world, it's peaceful,” Shaner added. “You leave everything back here including your troubles. It's a nice escape."
For more details about swimming with these stingrays, visit the Ripley’s Museum Stingray Experience webpage.
