COMINGANDGOING
Crikey, Indeed

Sunday, September 10, 2006

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STINGRAY WATCH
Crikey, Indeed

Should you let the kids pet the stingrays in aquarium touch tanks , given that a ray killed "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin last week?

Yes. Aquariums remove the barbed tips, called spines, from rays before putting them in touch tanks, says John O'Sullivan, a curator at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Besides, rays are docile creatures that will whip their barbed spines at you only if they feel threatened and can't exercise their first choice -- getting out of your way.

Death by ray is extremely rare, adds Alan Henningsen, a research specialist at the National Aquarium at Baltimore -- 17 reported deaths worldwide in the past 10 years. The spine would have to hit you in a vital organ or slice an artery to be immediately life-threatening. (Irwin was following a group of rays when he was struck in the chest, and the spine penetrated his heart.)

Then again, a ray's spine and its venom causes excruciating pain, and the wound can become infected.

So what about swimming with rays, especially in those programs where tour operators attract the critters with food?

Such programs are controversial because of their impact on the rays, says Henningsen, but aren't dangerous to people if properly run. Specifically, know that rays sometimes lie on the sand, so if walking in shallow water, shuffle your feet to warn them you're coming. And leave them plenty of room to get away -- i.e. don't chase or corner them, and don't swim above them.

SECURITY WATCH
Lock Steps

A CoGo reader retrieved his luggage after a recent flight to Africa and found notices from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration in his bags: "A screener may have been forced to break the locks."

The traveler admits he hadn't used TSA-approved locks. Problem was, screeners didn't cut the locks; they cut the zipper pulls to which the locks were attached, making opening the bags difficult, and locking them now impossible.

Was this their way, the bag owner asks, of "giving travelers a lesson for having the temerity to use non-TSA locks?"

"I'm not aware of instances where the bags, rather than the locks, were cut," said TSA spokeswoman Amy Von Walter. If bags are damaged, she added, claims can be filed at http://www.tsa.gov/ or by calling 866-289-9673. (CoGo says, good luck on collecting.)

Although TSA screeners are supposed to have master keys that can open TSA-approved locks, CoGo has heard complaints about such locks being cut on occasion. However, if a screener needs to open your bag and your lock isn't TSA-approved, count on it being cut.

Typical cost of a TSA-approved lock: about $10. Current sale price at www.protravelgear.com: $3.95.

TRAVEL TICKER

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris reopens Friday after a 10-year, $46 million renovation. Next door to the Louvre, the museum has a collection of 150,000 objects and a cupola with 360-degree views of Paris. Details: http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/ . . . The U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, expressed "utmost confi dence in the Jordanian security forces" after a gunman fired on a group of tourists in the capital last week, killing one. The U.S. State Department's Web site, http://www.travel.state.gov/ , warns that "the threat of terrorism remains high in Jordan."

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
Florida, Anyone?

JetBlue has sale fares to Florida, with many flights starting at $59 one way. For example, pay $137 (including taxes) to fly round trip from Dulles to West Palm Beach, or $139 to Fort Lauderdale. Book by Sept. 14; travel by Dec. 13. For West Palm Beach, other carriers are charging at least $50 more. Info: 800-JET-BLUE, www.jetblue.com.

Reporting: Cindy Loose

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to: cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.