In the Reef fish guidebook both the Southern and Roughtail Stingrays are listed to have pointed wing tips (as you can see, this guy or gal has very pointed wing tips). This specimen also has a ridge along his spine that has a lot of spikes. But it seems both species have spikes, its just that the Roughtail has more prominent spikes on the tail.
I am leaning towards the southern on this one but would like some support.
I'd say it's a southern. The roughtail's dorsal spines are more prominent, and in general it's a nastier looking ray. I was on a trawler that caught one off New England and it was much rougher looking—darker, spinier, nastier—than any southern I'd ever seen. Also weighed about 250 pounds...
Fun shots Slash. What is that big fish in the first shot? Was it hunting with the ray?
The fish is probably a Yellow Jack (Carangoides bartholomaei), they always follow rays like that and hunt together with them. When a ray digs burrows in the substrate a lot of small invertebrates and fish "jump" out and the jacks take advantage of that. And I agree with Southern Stingray for the ID of the ray.
