Valle Gran Rey
La Gomera island has beautiful beaches and impressive scenery, complete with high mountains and incredible fauna and flora, thus attracting many tourists every year. Cliffs line the valley and coast, as the island is soaked in the sun, all year long.
Valle Gran Rey, also known as The Valley of the Great King is the most popular beach on the island...
Blue Waters and Black Sand
The beach has fine black sand and blue waters, which are perfect for snorkeling, diving, swimming and just splashing around all day long.
Those that look for a secluded beach can try the one behind Vueltas' harbor, where there's also a meditation center in the quiet bay. There, you'll also find some strange things.
The Fishermen in Valle Gran Rey
You'll spot fishing boats far away, sometimes taking tourists at the board for a one of a kind experience. This is why a little boy named Joel came to visit the beach one early morning.
He was getting ready to get to the boat, when he noticed the waves looked rather peculiar...
Creatures Underwater
Some tourists come to the Canary Islands to visit the creatures that live underwater.
Snorkeling and scuba diving are their favorite choices, but Joel didn't need to go underwater to see some animals!
Encountering The Unexpected
A while before Joel came to the beach, residents heard of a group of tourists stumbling upon some strange creatures, but they thought it was all a story made up by frightened people that have never been underwater.
However, they knew better than to go swimming in the dark!
Keep Away From The Water
People are not allowed to swim in the water at night, especially in the harbor where many accidents can happen. Nonetheless, party-goers try their luck early in the morning for an unforgettable sunrise.
Joel wasn’t even thinking of swimming that morning, but as he stepped on the wet stairs in the harbor, something touched his foot! It was not just a wave!
What Was That Thing?
Remember the creatures seen by those tourists during their diving session? That happened during the night, as there was also a scuba diving at night class tourists can join. That could have meant it was easy to imagine monsters with all that poor light underwater.
But was it just their imagination? Joel wondered, as something really touched its feet again, this time with more strength than before...
There's Something in the Water!
As we said, the harbor is filled with fishing boats, and when fishers reach those stairs, some of the fish are thrown back into the water. But those weren't fish touching Joel.
It actually was a creature much bigger. Was it a shark?
He's a Brave Kid
Nobody dared to get closer, and his parents were frozen in place, speechless. They were so stunned they couldn’t even scream at Joel to come back.
The kid soon realized he just made a new friend who was asking him for a favor!
A Huge Sea Creature
Joel's special friendship with this mysterious giant creature is extraordinary and an unraveled the mystery for the locals.
You see, the underwater monster was looking for some friends!
A Giant Stingray
Joel's best friend is a giant stingray! It seems that had formed a very special and strong bond over the years.
But how did all of this happen? How does Joel see his friend? Click next to find out!
The Village's Harbor
The village where Joel lives is known for its harbor where villagers spend most of their working time fishing.
They usually throw their bycatch into the harbor and among the fish, it usually attracts larger deep-sea creatures.
Giant Stingray's Home
It appears that during one of these times, the giant stingray, Joel’s best friend, was brought into the harbor and decided to make it its forever home.
Soon it could meet Joel and develop a very strange morning routine.
Meeting Every Morning
Every morning, on his way to school, Joel walks next to the harbor where his giant friend waits for him. Joel walks while the giant stingray swims next to him.
But when there is a chance, this happens!
He Says Hi
There are some specific spots in the harbor where Joel has the opportunity to touch and greet in his own special way his friend. Joel heads down into the water and greets his friend!
This seems to happen every day! But wait... there's more!
The Stingray Greets Him Too
It's obvious that the stingray is as excited as Joel when the two of them meet.
The majestic giant creature gets out of the water and stays still allowing Joel to pet its nose!
It Trusts Him
The giant stingray knows that Joel would never harm it and the two of them spend a good part of their morning together without worries.
As mentioned before this seemed to be an everyday happening. One day, this happened!
Someone Captured It
Joel's friendship with this giant creature seemed to be a secret until the day that someone noticed the boy's strange behavior around the harbor.
Soon, one of the stingray's and Joel's meetings was captured on camera!
News Spread
News spread quickly around the village and soon everyone knew about Joel and his very special friend. It appears that the stingray and Joel became famous overnight!
Soon more and more people gathered every day to see for themselves.
Offered It Shrimp
Some fishermen decided to help Joel and offered him a box of fresh shrimp for Joel to feed the stingray.
The stingray was ecstatic about it and soon this became a part of their meetings!
Feeding It
Joel would feed his giant friend until he'd be full and the stingray never refused the offer.
Then he’d pet it for one more time and say his goodbyes.
Disappearing Into The Sea
Once the stingray is full from Joel's attention as well as food, it says its goodbye and disappears into the sea once again.
Joel then walks to continue his day, looking forward to meet his friend once again the next day.
Are Stingrays Dangerous?
But aren't stingrays dangerous? After all they have a stinger and that's why they got this name.
It appears that stingrays aren't aggressive and use their poisonous stinger only when they feel threatened.
Joel Means No Harm
That's why Joel makes sure that his giant friend feels safe around him. He means no harm and the giant stingray realizes it.
It wouldn't let Joel pet him otherwise.
A Friendly Stingray
Giant stingrays don't always behave like this nor they tend to live in such shallow waters. It appears that this stingray is an exception to the rule.
It’s also extraordinarily friendly!
The Video Went Viral
Soon, the whole world knew about Joel and his giant sea friend. The man who captured this amazing moment on camera uploaded the video on the internet and as you'd expect, it soon went viral! People were amazed by how calm both Joel and the stingray are.
A comment reads: > "My faith in humanity's restored. These boys have good souls."
Some Of The Comments
"This is really amazing. It's also good to see that the boy knows to respect boundaries and doesn't go too far (e.g. jumping in with the ray). The ray flapping back to the boy was so fantastic."
"Sting rays are members of the shark family but they're very friendly and playful in the water. I've dived with them and had great fun playing with them. They're wonderful creatures."
An Unusual Friendship
Joel's friendship is without a doubt an unusual one and probably the only one of its kind. The two friends meet everyday up to this day and when
Joel will become of age to drive a boat, they'll be set for more adventures!