It was the second week in Samut Songkhram on the Maeklong river, I was fishing know since 8 days trying to see one of the probably strangest and biggest freshwater fish on earth the giant freshwater stingray. I havent seen one yet fishing 7 days straight and by now using 6 lines with bait. It seemed like there wasnt any left, I my hopes where going down if I will ever see one of this alien fish. But instead of this fish I was after I found friends, which by now I called family. Lumpiak the local fishermen I was living treathed my like his son his wife, son and daughters where great friends of mine and we ate, drunk and spend everyday together. I didnt really care to much about the fish any more I believed everythink was happening for a reason and if I wasnt planning to catch that fish I would never met any of them. My friend Wi a local tattoo artist stoped by everyday for a beer. We didnt talked much nobody spoke any english and I wasnt speaking any Thai nether most times we sad there and we were nt talking a word but we smiled at each other and laughed together. Even we didnt know much about each other we understood each other with out talking, it was a amazing experience. I lived the absolut basic life sleeping outside under a roof out of palmleafs and a mosktinet. There was no running water nether just three big barrels filled with water with a little bowl inside to por the water over yourself. I love it and was having an absolute amazing time and decided to stay as long as I could, my visa expired on the 12 th of march then I definitely had to leaf. Today it was sunday the first of march I woke up at 7 am my friend Eck also a local fishermen brought the lines already out. I was going to brush my teeth when we called my name Rio, Rio, Bagaben, Bagaben which was the Thai name for stingray, I didnt lost any time grabed my rod and cameras and went into the boat. We were fishing with 180 lbs monofilement line and big circle hook, as bait we used small 3 spined catfish a local net fishermen gave us, while at some times it could be tough to catch bait fish, beside this we were using to small bottles fillet with concrete about 2 lbs heavy to keep the bait on the bottom and all this was connected to a big 2 liter coke bottle. When ever there was a fishing on the line we would have to cut the line at the bottle, put the line through the rings (rollers) of my fishing rod connected to the reel and the game was on. We did so I had to use a lot of strength to get the ray of the bottom taking about 6 minutes, it wasnt going to be a giant but it was a stingray, he surfaced and my friend Lumpiak was trying to grab his tail to secure the stings. The stingray got pissed of and was flipping his tail around like he was fighting for his life, the tail and Lumpiaks hand went into the water and than it hapend Lumpiak pulled out his arm and the stingray cut his arm, about a 6 cm long cut and deep to the bone, he didnt made any face expration. Eck the other fishermen was driving the boat at the time and he called already Lumpiaks son, I kept saying ohhhh shit, ohh shit what was going to happen to him. I got worried we drag the fish on the line to shore, Pui the son of Lumpiak was driving him fast to the hospital to get the shot against the poison and to get him stiched up. He then secured the stings and took some pictures of the fish he weight about 45 lbs and than released him back into the river. Not even 10 minutes were past when the next bottle was moving towards the shore, another stingray ? Eck paddled out to see if it was a big one, I was still shocked from what hapend to Lumpiak, I watched Eck pulling on the line and I saw it wasnt going to be a big one, he pulled the fish up holding the line with one hand and paddling the boat back with his other arm, does fishermen were some tough guys. It was a smaller stingray than the other one with a weight of maybe 30 lbs, again we we secured the sting took some pictures and released him. By now there was about 10 people at Lumpiaks everybody heard what hapend and came over the whole family and friends were there. Half an hour past and another bottle was moving up the river with something keep pulling the big coke bottle under water maybe this was going to be a big one. I grabbed my rod and we had out, cut the line put the line through the rings connected it to the my reel and game on. Again it didnt seemed to be a giant I took my about 6 minutes to get him of the bottom and pulling him up. We secured the stings again and head with the fish back to shore were everybody was excited to see this ray. Everybody took pictures and videos and then somebody asked me what I was going to do with it, I told him I wanne release him and he said why not giving him to a aquarium? Well I knew my answer I wasnt going to give that fish to a aquarium this was like putting him in jail, my respect to the the fish was bigger then that. Me and another friend of the familie were going in the water to release him I was holding his tail and one side of his body, he was holding the other side we talked out there was just my had stucking out the water and my legs were sinking into the mud I looked at the stingray and then he was twisting towards me putting a part of his body out the water I gave him a kiss and let go of his tail and he slowly swomm away, maybe that was his way of saying thank you !! By now over 2 hours were past since Lumpiak went to the hospital I was still worried and it seems I was the only one everybody was laughing, smiling and started to drink Whisky. I couldnt really get a smile on my face I was to much worried about my friend Lumpiak who I was living with since a week now and he was treating me like his son. Everybody told me not to worry, well that was easy sad. Almost 3 hours past and then Lumpiak came back, he was in pain the men who always smiled and laughed lost his smile. He got seven stiches a shot against the poison and a whole bunch of different medicine against the pain and infection. His arm swoll up almost twice the size, all muscles in his arm were moving like crazy, all around the cut his arm was turning dark almost black and the wound was still bleeding. Holy shit I thought, I couldnt see him in so much pain and he sad dont worry and tryed to roll up one of his cigarettes rolled into a dried palm leaf, it didnt really work he barely could move his arm, I gave him a cigarette and there was a little smile on his face, dont worry, dont worry he said. We let him rest and about 3 hours later the pain was gone he came to us and said down next to me and he was smiling and laughing with us, he was still bleeding which was good they said, his body was pushing out the poison. He was a tough men holy moly, with a size of mabe 1.68 m and a weight of about 105 lbs, grey here and mustache and 55 years old ! This day I wasnt going to forget in my life, a day of happiness, saidness and a lot of pain. Thanks Lumpiak you are the best ! I´m going to stay with him and his family till my visa expires in a week and I was still planning to keep fishing to try to get a giant but if not I didnt really care anymore, I was looking for a freshwater stingray and found a family !!! Thanks everyone for letting me being part of this !!!!
One day later researcher and doctors from Bangkok heard about what hapend and were going to come the next day to study the fresh sting of a freshwater stingray and how the poison was effecting the blood to understand how it worked. They may were able to make some better medicine after finding out how it worked. It was the first time in history that researcher could have a look of a fresh cut of a stingray and I was looking forward to work together with them specially while I had every thing on my gopro camera which I was wearing while the attack hapend this was also the first capture of the attack of the stingray on camera and we might could find out how they attack ! Lumpiak was doing good just his arm was still twice the size but he didnt had any pain anymore and he was relaxed about everything that hapend and was laughing about it. Lets see what the next days a bring