Gibbs Cay

Gibbs Cay is a small uninhabited island a short boat ride east of Grand Turk, and it is known for one thing: southern stingrays gather in the shallow water off its beach and come in to meet boats, a habit built up over decades of fishermen cleaning their catch here. Visitors stand in waist-deep water while the rays move around and over their feet. Beyond the beach the cay is scrub and rock with nesting seabirds and a reef offshore. Trips from Grand Turk usually combine it with a snorkel stop, and cruise ship days bring the crowds.

What you actually see

• The stingrays - gathering in shallow water off the beach.
• The uninhabited cay - scrub, rock and nesting seabirds.
• The reef offshore - snorkelling on the way in or out.
• Grand Turk from the water - the island seen from the east.

When to go

November to May is the calmest. Cruise ship days at Grand Turk fill the cay; check the port schedule and go on a day with no ship in if possible. Mornings are calmer for the crossing.

Honest expectations

The stingray gathering is the result of long-term feeding, and while the animals are wild, the behaviour is not natural; barbs are not trimmed here as they are at some sites, so keep feet shuffling and do not grab them. Cruise days bring large groups into a small area. There are no facilities on the cay.

Nearby

Cockburn Town is twenty minutes west; Salt Cay is south.