The Doctor Is In
On the way in from fishing, we stop off at Sandbar, a shallow area of North Sound that was once used by fishermen for cleaning their catch. The local stingrays found this quite a profitable activity and began to gather in some big numbers for a free meal. Today, the rays are fed by the literally thousands of cruise ship passengers who come here each year for the thrill of seeing, touching, and sometimes even getting a "hickey" from the stingrays. Being a marine scientist (the "Dr." part of the Guy
Harvey name) has led Guy to do extensive studies on the rays of North Sound. He knows most of them by name, having done behavioral and genetic studies of the rays. Several years ago, I made an over/under image of Guy standing in the water at North Sound,
Guy [is] one of the world's true renaissance men — an artist, scientist, writer, TV host, environmentalist and, of course, big game fisherman.
holding a ray painting. We came back to see if we could get an updated image of Guy with the rays he knows so well—sort of a new family portrait of
the artist, scientist, and his beloved subject of study. And, truth be told, we both wanted to visit a place that neither of us ever grow weary of spending time. Sandbar is only about three-feet deep. When there aren't any other boats around, the 85 or so rays that inhabit the area gather up in a school and circle around like a big group of flying carpets. I've come to this place dozens of times, and Guy hundreds, but seeing the rays is always much more than a thrill. It's
a place on the planet where the term magical is not a cliché. The best way to ensure the rays stay in front of the camera is to introduce a little bait. And, unlike the frozen squid they're used to, we bust out some of the baitfish we caught, and the rays get a little
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