Are there sting rays in the gulf of mexico?

I'm in south padre island, and there are no jellyfish and the water is actually pretty clear with little seaweed. No one has even seen a fish yet today!!! However, i am deathly afraid of going farther than about 15 feet from shore (almost to my knee) Im mostly scared of getting hurt by things like stingrays, sharks, and jellyfish. My family went all the way to the sandbar, and I just stayed close to the beach. I'm am also afraid of the drop off before the sand bar, where it quickly goes from 3 feet to like, 20!!! My dad told me i'm a strong enough swimmer to swim to the sand bar, but im soooo scared! what should i do!!!!