GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman--British billionaire Sir Richard Branson had a vacation to remember for all the wrong reasons, after he was injured by a stingray and a bullet-proof glass door in quick succession in the Cayman Islands.
The Virgin tycoon said he had been “in the wars,” revealing that his conservation trip “didn’t quite go to plan.”
Branson joined ocean conservationist Guy Harvey for a swim with stingrays off the coast of Grand Cayman, and one of the creatures confused Branson with food and bit into his arm.
The travel and music mogul posted a picture of a bloody and bruised bite mark on his forearm on Twitter.com and told fans he was bitten “by a shark.”
“We were surrounded by stingray, as well as stunning coral reefs and tropical fish … But the rays were feeding all around, and they mistook yours truly for their food,” he subsequently related on his website.
“Suddenly I felt a painful sensation on my wrist – they have one heck of a painful kiss! Rays are actually part of the shark family, so I’ve now been kissed by a shark.
“We made it back to shore and I put on a brave face as I got some treatment … I’m still proudly campaigning to protect rays, even if I did get kissed! Apparently it gives seven years good luck.”
Unfortunately, the talismanic kiss didn’t do much for Branson, who went on to have an unfortunate run-in (literally) with a glass door.
“As my anniversary was coming up, I popped into a local jewellery shop to look for a gift for Joan [his wife – Ed.]. I strolled purposefully into the shop, not noticing there was a glass door in my way. Crash!” he recounted.
“I hit the glass head first and I got this painful cut above my left eye. It was bullet-proof glass! We quickly set up a makeshift operating theatre, where I was given three stitches.
“By now I was feeling rather woozy and quite embarrassed, but I was still smiling.”
Despite the injuries, Branson still managed to compete in the Legends at Camana Bay tennis tournament.
“We had a lot of fun on court and hopefully made people smile. It certainly made me forget all about my injuries, and I’m well on the road to recovery now,” he concluded. ~ Caribbean360 ~
