Stingray City

Stingray City, a shallow sandbar in the sheltered, brilliantly turquoise North Sound of Grand Cayman, offers one of the most magical and unusual wildlife encounters in the Caribbean. Here, in warm, waist-deep, crystal-clear water, dozens of wild southern stingrays gather, having done so for generations since fishermen once cleaned their catch here. Reached by a short boat trip, visitors can stand on the sandbar or snorkel as these remarkably gentle, graceful creatures, some over a metre across, glide smoothly around and between them, brushing past like velvety underwater birds, a gentle, unforgettable and genuinely unique experience.

History

The rays probably began gathering decades ago, when fishermen coming home sheltered behind the reef and cleaned their catch in the calm shallows, throwing the scraps overboard; the stingrays learned to link the sound of a boat engine with food, and divers found they could feed them by hand (Wikipedia, Stingray City, Grand Cayman).

Highlights

• The wild stingrays - the gentle southern stingrays on the sandbar.
• The shallow sandbar - the waist-deep turquoise water.
• The snorkelling - the interaction and snorkelling with the rays.
• The North Sound - the sheltered, brilliant turquoise lagoon.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, for the calmest, clearest conditions, though the stingrays gather year-round; boat trips run daily from various points, and going early or on a quieter day avoids the largest crowds, especially when cruise ships are in port. Calm, sunny days show the sandbar and rays at their most beautiful.

What to expect

Stingray City is hugely popular, so it can get crowded with tour boats, especially on cruise days, and the wild rays, though gentle, are wild animals to be treated with respect and care, following guides' instructions. It is reached only by boat tour. As a genuinely magical and unique encounter, though, standing in waist-deep turquoise water as gentle wild stingrays glide around you, it is an unforgettable highlight of the Cayman Islands and worth timing to avoid the biggest crowds.

Nearby

Seven Mile Beach, George Town and the reefs of Grand Cayman are within reach.

Key facts